Kulga Security by obscurity. Unfortunately, it rarely works well since it would be fairly trivial to try exploit X and seeing if it works regardless of if the version is displayed.
That's true enough. Hiding the version number won't deter anyone who's halfway capable or determined.
But we shouldn't assume that "security through obscurity" is completely meaningless. It does help to deter those who are merely casual or impulsive. I have yet to meet anyone who would stop locking their door (much less hang the key on a hook outside with a note saying "Come in and steal all my stuff!!") just because there are a few skilled and well-equipped professional burglars out there.
Like I said, it's not like it takes lot of effort to hide the version number. If it meant even a couple hours of hard programming to put it in place, then I'd say "Why bother?" But as you say, since the average user has no need of the information, why not hide it?
As it is, I really like the idea of putting the version number and extension info in an admin panel, where they can be easily copied and sent to support personnel.
