I was not there in 1985 either, but I can assure you there was no private jets and caviar back then. I have had the impression, from some Guy Kawasaki books I guess, that Apple's relation to developers has always, been a bit problematic if not even schitzophrenic. I guess there's nothing new here, your comparison to obedience of children was quite accurate.

Given that Mac users and especially developers are elitistic ****s[1]. It's easy to see them complaining about anything less than top notch food and snacks :)

[1] http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/07/12