software soft option

It is like, I'm using 2004 version of a particular software. Then the school is using 2005 version, so when I download files from IVLE I can't open them at home. No choice, have to upgrade my software. But when I have upgraded mine, I can't spot the difference between the 2 versions other than the version number (and maybe nicer start-up screen).

Do software companies simply put a code into their new release so as to force users to upgrade their software every year?

Notepad is still the best. One version fits all.