Hussar
Legend
Well, all I can say is that D&D was able to last for 30 years without a Radical Reboot. They were able to do it in the past with the 2e/3e mix. Considering all the effort that went into building 3e, I don't think there was any reason to make fighters equal to spellcasters in terms of options other than opinion. You're stating that there is an "imbalance", yet fighters had more hitpoints, more feats, and worked within the system.
Hang on a tick here. What?
You're going to tell me that the switch from OD&D to AD&D wasn't radical? Really?
OD&D weighs in at what, a hundred or so pages? AD&D core weights in at almost a thousand. Ten times as much material wasn't a radical change?
But, moving forward a bit. 3e is far and away mechanically closer to 4e than it is to 2e. I mean, you can go through the list and, other than the powers and a few odds and sods, 4e IS 3e for the most part. Everything from character creation, the meaning of the stats, on and on. 4e is very much a d20 derivitative.