Wait a minute. Did I miss something, or did 3rd edition only come out about 10 years ago? When were you doing skill checks in D&D more than 20 years ago? And how, more than 20 years ago where you playing at tables that all managed to adopt identical house rules regarding skill usage?
There's been non-weapon proficiencies since the mid 80s, and of course dice rolls from the first rpg game played. Why is it so unbelievable to you that people treat a failure by 1 and a total flub differently? Most people do it.