Good points. I can understand manufactures and key sponsors need to constantly push a new product (in largely) competitive activates. I've rabbited on a few times about how we get sold this is "trickle down technology to benefit all".
Fact is of course, pros are paid to use what they are paid to ride, and the trickle down is more economic and advertising arguments to to fund the next thing at top level R&D and associated mistakes. Some design principals will remain, but fact is material quality and durability etc. suffers in it's due course.
I am a retro fan, but like mentioned in a bit of similar dilemma to the OP. I've got the stuff in the attic, cable TRPs and XT rotors unmounted and tested.
Love your anecdotes
My one time I will say jaw dropping experience was descending Pas De La Case into Andorra years ago in torrential rain and with rear panniers. Campag Chorus Monoplaners performed superb. A testament to all the solid bulk of AL on them I think. The brake block bleed dripped down the forks and gunk on the rims was a stark reminder that parts wear out, and do fast in extreme conditions. The cold and hand cramps had to be managed constantly and the day after a healthy tweak of the barrel adjuster was much needed.
For years since, it's cantilever frame only. Something about that I got involved from the CX scene, but also like many things consider it is like a complete system with proper no flex hangers, right braze ons withing tolerance etc. etc. etc. Straddle height adjustment, make sure they hit the rims at the same time, and make sure your rim width is spot on too. I have no issues to replace a new rim to an old hub, so have never really had the need to rush out and buy new wheels either.
I don't know what my point is here, but I think I would like to summarise that rim brake on an alloy rim did reach a pinnacle performance in road, CX, touring, tandem, MTB etc. and that pinnacle is absolutely more than good enough in the majority of cases. A fairly good mid end or high end rim calliper or cantilever brake I believe is still good to have and stock up on. I can fully understand disk brakes on a DH monster - I mean of course drawing from the MC/MX world would have been logical and life saving.
When rims went to carbon, I understood from my brother that Corima could only come up with a cork brake pad. This is madness on every level, and despite cork does have interesting properties, it is clear that some basic aspects of engineering (namely you never get something for nothing) or it must have been very very assumed and in fine print that these rims were destined for TT in Norfolk or Holland only and trashed after 10 rides.
I can see the disk evolutionary need if carbon rims is the driving force, but that in no means disqualifies a breaking technology that was at it's peak and refined constantly during almost 100 years or so.
Like many here, I'm old enough to have chromed steel rims and crappy flexy pressed steel or wittled down to nothing flexy Wienmann side pulls. Again this is absolutely no reason to dish rim brakes blanket wise, but I will say try riding first vintage generation Bowden calipers (circa 1910). All I can say is you are happy for a fixed gear to add to "slowing down" because that is all they could ever do.
Stopping is oddly somewhat of a luxury in modern-ish day cycling. Perhaps more modern day disk braking is grappling with less than a complete enclosed mechanical system to braking and missing a vitally important feedback loop tactile and brain wise. I don't know, but I have seen some shocking incidents in pro cycling and that actually deters to venture outwards to new technology for me.