HDF5 has incorporated many performance improvements over the years. Each new release adds new functionality and potentially addresses user pain points. However, any feature that required a change in the file format that would make forward compatibility from early library versions is turned off by default. This continued forward compatibility leads many users to seek alternatives not understanding that the advances HDF has published in the literature are not enabled by default. This talk will argue that a clean break with the past will greatly improve HDF5's reputation while not affecting the current user community.