I wanted to see if using Blender 2.49 would be useful in the Academic areas, like Elementary, Junior High, etc.
Blender 2.49 64 bit does not run on my Windows 10 64 bit machine.
The error, I believe, said some thing about a side to side configuration.
The current blender version is much more logically laid out than blender 2.49.
I started with 2.49. I want to see if it is good idea for kids, etc.
Just because you started with crap doesn’t mean it’s best for other people to start learning with crap. If they then get interested in blender they will then have to transition to the latest version and 99% of all good online tutorials are not for blender 2.49.
All you’ll be doing with 2.49 would be to instill confusion into anyone you’re trying to teach. Forget about it.
I have heard at least one person say that the new UI is bad, that it is not productive. I do not know if it is true. I do know that once some thing is learned it is easier to use but not necessarily efficient.
You would be doing a disservice to your students by teaching them an outdated piece of software. Almost anything they learn in 2.49 will not be transferable to current blender, or any other piece of software.
In my own experience 2.49 was very difficult to use as it’s interface was cluttered and not logically laid out. The 2.5x redesign was one of the better things to happen to Blender.