There's an enormous difference between changing combat mechanics, skills, items and spells completely and leaving in a piece of intangible convenience like item links. The latter does not change gameplay in any way whatsoever, the game would be 100% the same without them except you'd sometimes have to type out an item's stats instead of linking it when you want to show it to someone else. I also suspect it's one of those things they can't remove because it's fused to the client, like the [53 Warder (Druid)] tags and such. Re-designing classes isn't even remotely comparable to that.
Besides, the issue is that if they change one thing, people will want more things changed. Soon enough, this will be Project 1999 Custom Content 5x EXP New Classes instead of the closest ever copy of classic Everquest. If you want a more balanced game, try one of those custom servers or, better yet, a modern MMORPG. If the devs agree to one non-classic change, the playerbase will demand another, and another. Everything will devolve into arguments about how this or that would be an improvement, how imba or underpowered x is, and how they'll have to change y or Joe will quit.
This server's sole purpose is to adhere as strictly as possible to Everquest canon. It's a harsh, difficult and unbalanced game, and that's why people like it. I can assure you that the absence of major deviations from history is why it has become by far the most popular and succesful emu server, and that it'll stop being so the moment the devs start changing things as they see fit.
How can you claim that it won't compromise the classic feel when what you want to change is the classic feel?
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