"It evolved" is a reasonable excuse for an 0.7 product, or an ecosystem like the Internet, where no single entity is in control.
But when you've gone through 5 major versions over a decade, I don't think you can say, "Well gosh, it jes' growed that way." That takes it from "evolved" to "poorly planned".
Also, I wouldn't lean too hard on "most popular". Bud Light is the most popular beer and American Idol is the most popular TV show. "PHP: The Bud Light of programming languages" is not really helping your case.
But when you've gone through 5 major versions over a decade, I don't think you can say, "Well gosh, it jes' growed that way." That takes it from "evolved" to "poorly planned".
Also, I wouldn't lean too hard on "most popular". Bud Light is the most popular beer and American Idol is the most popular TV show. "PHP: The Bud Light of programming languages" is not really helping your case.