1) Is it correct to infer from earlier posts from Dream Land that the AB procedure for applying reverse on a locked out u/s reverser was amended recently (before "don't", now "do")?
Strictly, no, from what I see.
post by DL
78-30 Thrust Reverser
30-01 Thrust Reverser
At Landing:
Note: It is recommended not to select reverse thrust on the affected engine
(and there's been discussion that that was withdrawn later)
from Airbus telex
A- During the flare at thrust reduction select ALL thrust levers to IDLE.
Those aren't inconsistent: one says DON'T select REV, the other says DO go to IDLE.
But it does seem that people are interpreting a negative instruction in a way that's different to the corresponding positive instruction. A reminder just how the semantics of a procedure can be critical.