I don't think it's necessary to purchase VI Pro, since what it gives you are more bells and whistles--specifically humanization--which are fully applicable to other instruments as well, so it's hard to see the disadvantage to upgrading--though I do understand this frustration (I haven't upgraded yet either and my demo license is expiring very soon). But it is the natural order of the music samples universe: they will make new things that replace (or compliment) old things, and we will want them (or occasionally, though more rarely, "need" them) and they will cost money, and we will buy them, and yea verily shall it continueth henceforth until the end of time.
But this tirade against VSL for releasing a new product is ridiculous. First of all, what other products are they going to release? There are only so many instruments in the orchestra. So we have repeats, so what? You now have choices and options. I probably have enough orchestra libraries to do Havergal Brian mockups (Mahler symphony of 1000 anyone?). VSL alone has given us 18 french horns (2 solo, 8 epic, 4 section, and 4 dimension), and I am not complaining. How big is your brass section? Mine is ENORMOUS!!! Look upon my horns and despair!!!
Are you going to cry shame again when they release dimension strings? (it only makes sense they would do this since strings in an ensemble operate similarly, and people have been begging for VSL divisi and/or 2nd violins). Can you imagine? It's going to be a-a-a-awesome!
I don't understand the anger that you don't get a discount. I have a few libraries (not the cube, but a few), but I didn't have the funding to take advantage of the winter sale, and I'm not going to blame them for my *really* wanting to. I have plenty of other libraries, and technically don't "need" another, but I'm not going to go off on the company because I couldn't take advantage of their special before it expired. So what? There's always next year. Maybe by then they will have released something new that I'll be drooling over (which is very likely).
If you have the cube already, how much more do you need? The answer for me was "more, must have, [grunt, drool]" so I paid my money, so that the Circle of Sampled Life may continue.
So "Sorry, David, but I don't agree with you." I guess I could have said just that.
Peace.