> they can release a google search version that is one year older than the current version google is using, than they can release a new version every-year which

> they can release a google search version that is one year older than the current version google is using, than they can release a new version every-year which will be one year older than the current version. I don't think that would ever happen. Even a one-year old Google Search probably contains things that no other search company knows about (not to mention how it would help everybody better reverse engineer the current version). They'd have too much to lose in their core business by doing that.