David, sorry, I hadn't updated my browser before I posted my last comment and didn't see your response. That list is extremely useful, thank you for directing me to it, and for explaining the italics, it's a great, if not definitive, reference!

For me, it's not so much replacing externals (hid, Gen), as trying to work out which vanilla-friendly externals can perform the same function as obsolete objects in extended. Some kind of cross-referenced list would be invaluable!

I'm also fairly new to PD and have been struggling with this. My biggest issue is that when I open a patch and find that it contains an obsolete object that doesn't work in vanilla, the external that might substitute for this obsolete object often has a different name, and there isn't a list anywhere I can find that can tell me which externals replace which obsolete extended objects. Can anyone help by directing me to this list, if it exists? It's hard to find the right external for the job.

I have been following a breadcrumb trail to try and get [hid] objects working on PD 0.51-1, which has brought me to this thread! CalBassist, have you had any luck with [comport]? I'm hoping to use a usb gaming joystick to direct audio signal to different dac outputs, and [hid] seemed to be my best option, but no dice!