I do appreciate that, and we are trying to find a solution to the '3 edition' problem. We have folded PDFs into the printed purchase (if you get it from our site), but the VTT side is proving a bit sticky. We are working on it.The pain is made worse for me finding it necessary to also run campaigns online - have local players that are still uncomfortable with gaming in person. Since I moved campaigns to Virtual Tabletop, I've ended up buying 3 editions of the 2e CRB
In terms of new players, if this is useful, we do have the PDF of the Explorer's Edition (which contains all the core rule mechanics) for just $1, last year we posted a free adventure on Drivethru - and this year we are doing that again.
Not a full answer, I apologise, but we are making some progress and we are continuing to look for other ways to make things easier and more affordable.