v7, which was the "next big thing" back then. He's referring to the major versions (unless he was referring to Poseidon/Trident, which used to be the base of v8). As for free permanent licenses, I remember receiving one around that time. I don't remember leaving a comment, though.
The free licenses that were issued around that time were part of a different special promotion, Boonex asked people to make a donation and no matter what the donation issued a license.