Nah, I played both 2.0 and 2.5. Gygax was just a math and numbers geek who tried to gatekeep with over complication.

4.0 is NOT D&D. 1.0 barely qualifies as D&D.

2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, and 5.0 all have their upsides and downsides.