Incompatible string substitution operations 2.05/3.00

[pm]

Configuration Information [Automatically generated, do not change]:
Machine: i586
OS: linux
Compiler: gcc -I/usr/src/packages/BUILD/bash-2.05b 
-L/usr/src/packages/BUILD/bash-2.05b/../readline-4.3
Compilation CFLAGS:  -DPROGRAM='bash' -DCONF_HOSTTYPE='i586' 
-DCONF_OSTYPE='linux' -DCONF_MACHTYPE='i586-suse-linux' -DCONF_VENDOR='suse' 
-DSHELL -DHAVE_CONFIG_H  -I.  -I. -I./include -I./lib  -O2 -march=i586 
-mcpu=i686 -fmessage-length=0 -Wall -D_GNU_SOURCE -Wall -pipe -g 
-fbranch-probabilities
uname output: Linux foo 2.6.5-7.108-smp #1 SMP Wed Aug 25 13:34:40 UTC 2004 
i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
Machine Type: i586-suse-linux

Bash Version: 2.05b
Patch Level: 0
Release Status: release

Description:
        The string substitution operations seem to differ between 2.05 and 3.00 
of BASH, with respect to the pattern quoting.
        See example below.
        Is it a bug?
        I have not found it mentioned in any release notes - have I missed it 
ir is it missing?
        How should I handle this incompatibility?

        Example on configuration for BASH 3.00:
        Machine: i386
        OS: linux-gnu
        Compiler: gcc
        Compilation CFLAGS:  -DPROGRAM='bash' -DCONF_HOSTTYPE='i386' 
-DCONF_OSTYPE='linux-gnu' -DCONF_MACHTYPE='i386-pc-linux-gnu' 
-DCONF_VENDOR='pc' -DLOCALEDIR='/usr/share/locale' -DPACKAGE='bash' -DSHELL 
-DHAVE_CONFIG_H  -I.  -I../bash -I../bash/include -I../bash/lib   -g -O2
        uname output: Linux leela 2.6.8.1 #1 Sun Oct 10 01:31:37 CEST 2004 i686 
GNU/Linux
        Machine Type: i386-pc-linux-gnu
        Bash Version: 3.0
        Patch Level: 16
        Release Status: release

Repeat-By:
        qqq='aaa**bb'; echo ${qqq//\\*/X}; echo ${qqq//\*/X}
        output in BASH 2.05b:
                aaaXXbb
                X
        output in BASH 3.00:
                aaa**bb
                aaaXXbb