If the first question you’re asking yourself looking at a code base is “what version is this/do I know this version” then that language is not facilitating you.
The successful languages are ones where “the community” prioritises backward compatibility. Java, C, Python have backward compatibility spanning decades. There’s a few discontinuities (lambdas in Java 8, Python 3, C++) but in most cases there’s a clear mapping back to the original. Python 3 is an exception to this but the migration window was something like 15 years…
Busy engineers, scientists and academics have little interest in keeping up to date with language features. A computer and a programming language are a tool for a job and the source code is just an intermediate artifact. These are your “community”, and the stakeholders in your success.
Doesn't mean I have to deny them the right to exist because they don't have a "community*".
* more like a religion for some programming languages.
This can in turn fuel development of the platform therefore helping keep it relevant.
In recent times we call this “the network effect” and it applies to more than just social media.