A point release every n months is utterly useless for on-the-ground web developers. Safari needs to move to the Firefox/Chrome deployment model if it wants to remain at all relevant.
I really love Safari for being just a really good browser. No 'sneaky OS' like Chrome (I don't need Chromes User management, thank you, and I'd much rather have my OS's context menus and font aliasing), and speedier, if you will, 'snappier' than Firefox, with its custom animations for every button and overall not very 'native' look and feel.
No, I want a browser that does what a browser should do; let me easily and speedily browse the web. Safari is great at that.
Except it isn't. Because it's non standard different way of handling things means it's a lot more work for Web developers to give the same experience they give in chrome to safari users. You get a dumbed down experience on safari as a result.
I also remember many years passing when IE6 stuck around like an unwelcome fart and we all hoped and prayed that it would die so we could move on. Rapid silent updates are the best thing that happened to the web for both the user and for developers. Chrome has many serious issues but it's update cycle isn't one of them.
I'm not sure what part of the dark ages you would like to return to. Are we talking pre-Chrome, pre-Firefox or the days when Netscape 4 roamed majestically across the Triassic plains?
I'd be ok without these, thanks. So many improvements turn out to be regressions in usability, causing and endless cycle of "now how do I do X today?"
The compatibility updates, well, I don't recall actually seeing a lot of those day to day. So, not a lot of benefit there either.
When I first heard about Chrome's secret updates I freaked out. Now I have used the chrome stable channel for years and have yet to see anything serious magically appear. It is king of disconcerting though to see the UI change. For example the new gray bookmark folders are still confusing my eyes. They disappear into the background for me.
Safari will remain relevant for a long time as long as it is the default browser on OS X and iOS.
I prefer Safari and don't care much for 6-week release cycle for Chrome and Firefox. If anything, they've gotten worse in stability since they switched to 6 weeks cycle for me.