Older versions are not "simpler". They may actually be harder to understand as not everything is named logically or commented well. With newer versions of the code, most things are well commented and named appropriately. Things that aren't are typically shared with older versions so using an older version really won't help.
Also newer versions have documentation that makes it easier to build and do other common things with the software.
Thank you, I will take note. ... but, besides, I like that in older versions there is a built-in miner