How is the author taking his time to release a new version neglect?

People that were not happy with the wait migrated to other editors.

He owns us nothing.

I know, right! My TextMate completely stopped working when it was just 3 years old. Don't make 'em like they used to.

The "he did it too" defense?

Sorry, but "neglect" is a pretty obnoxious accusation you're leveling against Alan. He's dutifully maintained Textmate 1.5.x over those years and has released many many updates. That these releases have not also served to entertain you is simply not a legitimate complaint, let alone an excuse to suspend "common courtesy".