Well you can be just as tactical in all the editions; I've just seen that people don't really use them very much.
1e in the core books didn't have skills, but the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide actually did bring skills to the 1e table
Nonetheless, what you described is essentially what happens in 1e (with skills), 2e, 3X.
I agree. My game style is the same for everyone at the table: 4e's complex tactical combat.
Yeah, I'm not sure how that will play out. I never played 3e, so 4e's out-of-combat rules seem very similar to 1e to me. The DM describes a situation, the players describe how their characters respond, the DM asks for an ability check or skill check when he thinks it necessary. It's a simple system and I gather 3e had more complexity. (How exactly does that work? I have trouble imagining a mechanical solution to out-of-combat scenarios.)
1e in the core books didn't have skills, but the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide actually did bring skills to the 1e table
Nonetheless, what you described is essentially what happens in 1e (with skills), 2e, 3X.