[One (M7) General] ingenious247:
I agree, that was how it started. But that is not what xda is today.

The fact is, that there is a big difference between an official Android update and a custom ROM. Back when phones needed rooting/development to improve the experience on the phone (because of struggling hardware and old versions of Android/TW/Sense etc) it was exciting to see these developments unfold. But the truth is, most of today's custom ROMs/kernels are filled with bugs compared to the mfg released experience. Yes, there are also minor bugs here and there from the official ROMs, but nothing like what you go through with these patchwork ROMs where the Devs basically spend all their time trying to fix what their custom code broke. In many cases, we've seen problems emerge that never existed when sticking to the stock ROM/recoveries, like IMEI's getting wiped, hardware failures that occurred because of constant flashing, the list goes on and on. And that's OK - that's part of the "development" process, because the users are basically test dummies for the developers, and we know that.

But I can't see myself wanting to lose functionality/stability to jump to 4.2.2 early, or to install a custom ROM. Today's stock experience is more stable with more features than developers can offer today. Unless of course the features you're interested in are changing your status bar's transparency, boot animation, things you cannot alter without root access.

Aside from that, with today's xda the developers that most talented either get snatched up by a major company, or they require a massive following to keep themselves motivated - because who wants to do all that work for absolutely nothing? Well.. the Devs used to. But it's not really like that anymore. They're building an empire of users, look at CM today, they're on their way to becoming a major player in the industry itself - mark my words, their end game is not "because they wanted more out of their device or wanted something on it which wasn't available". Development has become a business, whether people realize that or not. And yes, there are still many small time developers that are on xda for fun or as a hobby, but more and more this has become a business. Both for xda - and the developers.

However my point is, we shouldn't jump a user who is complaining about a company who doesn't keep their promise, simply because the person complaining not a developer. If it was a known developer who was upset because they can't get their hands on the kernel or source code they need, or couldn't unlock a bootloader after HTC promised they would be able to, and they made a thread complaining about it - everyone would be chiming in with support and no one would be telling the Developer to stop whining, or how he/she was intellectually inferior because he doesn't just flash something else instead of wanting what he/she was promised.

HTC uses the development/user community's desire for the latest updates as a marketing ploy - and if they don't deliver what they promise it'll just be another nail in the HTC coffin. But I am pulling for them to deliver, because I've always liked HTC's products.

I will always support developers - I have and always will donate/buy apps, many times even when I don't need what they developed or won't use it. So I guess it kind of irks me when users get treated like their unimportant. Developers were/are users too, let's not forget that part.

Could the OP have waited the two/three month cycle that it generally takes for the US version to get approved before complaining? Sure, I can see that. But nothing wrong with releasing some frustration with his/her xda buddies by discussing the topic. Nothing wrong with that at all.