>>96736219
Looks like you haven't gleaned enough. You've omitted the start of the story and an entire product line
>1974 D&D aka Original or OD&D
>1977 D&D aka Holmes Basic, replaced 1974 D&D generically called Basic
>1977 AD&D where the A stands for advanced
aka, stood as an alternative line to Basic
>1981 D&D aka Moldvay and Cook or B/X, replaced 1977 D&D, generically called Basic
>1983 D&D aka Mentzer or BECMI, replaced B/X but rules nearly identical, itself repackaged by Rules Cyclopedia in 1991 which contained BECM, the Immortal rules being split into their own box set because they were always very different from the rest of D&D, but RC doesn't really count as an edition being little more than a BECM reprint in a collected format, generically called Basic
>1989 AD&D Second edition, aka 2e, led to 1977 AD&D being called first edition
>1995, not an actual edition but sometimes called AD&D 2.5 or Player Options due to the release of books that made some big changes, if you bought them that is
>2000 DND 3 dropped Advanced but kept the numbering, same core of ability scores, combat, spell casting and stuff like that as in all earlier versions of D&D but what defined character classes was very different to everything that went before, the Basic line was terminated
>2003 DND 3.5, officially called 3.5 by the publishers
>2008 DND 4 combat and ability scores similar to earlier but abandoned the previous spell casting tabletop and gave every one at will/encounter/daily use powers, was in essence an adaptation of a MMO, which a lot of people said at the time, years later confirmed online by its designers
>2010 DND Essentials, a starter pack for DND 4
>2014 DND 5, sort of reversed a lot of DND 4 changes
>2024, a revision of DND 5 sometimes called DND 5.5 but I don't know if that's official

>2e - no idea, nobody ever mentions it
That's just a lie. It's always in /osrg/.

>what exactly is the whole point of editions?
Generate sales. Make money. Stay in business.