I did read all of the topics you mentioned in your original post above before replying and I'm still not convinced that the plugin's developer has broken any guidelines. Whether I, personally, agree with the changes is another matter entirely. :-)
However, a plugin author is at liberty to remove functionality from the free version of the plugin at any time as long as the final free version is still functional. This one, as far as I can see, is. It may no longer have all the bells and whistles that it previously had but it's still usable "as is".