eosfun
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Sorry but Nikon approach was wiser. History has proven that you can have G-lenses with all the bells whistles (just like Eos lenses) without reinventing the bayonet and declare the previous FD system DEAD, like it is now. You can still use most Nikkor F manual lenses on the 2012 Nikon D800 and they can even show correct exif data. This is sad also because many FD lenses were outstanding.
Well this is just one opinion. Canon did a serious attempt to bring Af in the FD mount. Their T80 was a camera that tried to include AF in the FD system. However, the bulky size of the 35-70AF lens as well as the slow and relatively noisy AF could not match Minolta's successful 7000 AF system. Canon management realised that the mount needed to be bigger and provided with modern digital communcations to be ready for later progression in technology of electronics and optics (EOS). That's why they decided to start with a whole new system that rapidly proved to be better than any of it's competitors. Nikon's philosophy may have been the basis for a more versatile system for some time, but after the market adapted to the shift of paradigm that all cameras should be AF based, Nikon's system was caught in it's own limitations chosen for backward compatibility.
Today, I am one of the photographers who is amazed that none of the relatively newcomers in the market of DSLR's did not introduce completely new system elements because greenfield thinking is a possibility for those newcomers since they have no heritage to protect. My bet is that the road Sony went with their NEX system is an indication where the market is heading. A Korean or Chinese manufacturer that has the guts to bring revolutionary new designs based on out of the box thinking on a high quality level has good chances in a market where traditional photo manufacturers like Olympus, Pentax, Kodak, Hasselblad, Rollei, Mamiya and others have become in great trouble. Trouble that neither the current market leaders Nikon and Canon have been immune from. Nikon seems to come back with some interesting new models, but has some (financially) bad years behind them. They lost too much marketshare in the compact camera market where they once were very succesful with their Coolpix 900 swivel models, this, combined whith their dependency from technology from great competitors, makes them very vulnerable. Canon is not immune for future trouble either.
I was at the meeting from Canon when they introduced their EOS system march 2.nd 1987, a terrible winterday with ice rain that day. Within a few days it's exactly 25 years now. Critique from some visitor that meeting on the discontinuity with the FD system and scepsis about a complete new EOS system at the time have been proven wrong. But today Canon faces the challenge to make new great steps. If not, the end of EOSfun is around the corner. Some competitor will take the market overnight with a convincing new camera concept. Again this is just around the corner. The technology is available. The market potential is latent but overwhelming. The ideas and power for innovation are only limited by the power and courage of management of cameramanufacturers. somehow I have the impression they are in different boardrooms than Shimaruko along the Tamagawa river.
Enjoy the EOSfun at your birthday party! I'll ignite a candle for Canon 
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what a beauty.