"As of approximately 4:45pm PST, www.dotnetnuke.com is dogfooding release 4.06.00."

Much like I do with new Windows OS releases, I have been waiting a few weeks after each new DNN release to upgrade (reading the forums and trying to get a sense of the stability/outstanding issues before pulling the trigger). It seems like I just upgraded to 4.5.5 a few weeks ago.

My Answer/Comment:  waiting for the dust to settle is not a bad strategy, in my opinion.  Fools rush in...isn't that how the song goes? What I have been seeing is that DNN is wrestling with how to get code tested and exercised prior to general release.  They are heading towards structured betas...if they get enough agressive volunteers to exercise the code during beta, it's a win-win excellent strategy.

Given that I am new to the world of DNN, I thought I would ask: is there typically a new upgrade made available every month or so, or is this a break from protocol in an effort to fix issues that have arisen since the previous release? More so, as the platform, for lack of a better word, matures, would the frequency of the upgrades start to decline and the "latest and greatest" will remain the latest and greatest for, say, months?

My Answer:  It really varies, in the playing field DNN.  There are a lot of new developments and technologies that affect a framework like DNN and that can't help but help but result in changes to the framework.  As new technologies and methods get developed and tested, DNN has to be flexible enough to respond to these changes.  I wouldn't expect the pace to slow down, but become more structured.  In the past, I have noticed release tend to nature occur during so-called "holidays", probably because the volunteers that work on the code have more tiime to dedicate to coding and testing DNN at those times.

Lastly, do most people go ahead and upgrade, even if everything is working just fine on their sites? I hate to be left behind and always upgrade under the assumption that the latest is bigger and badder and more refined, but perhaps I should (after 4.6, of course) adopt the 'if it's not broken, don't fix it' mentality?

My Answer:  umm...there's no real thing that "most people do".  In a production environment, where you want to manage a more "stable" the best advice is to change when you want to take advantage of new technologies offered by the new versions.  Don't get so far behind that you have to have to start over everytime you want to take  advantage of a new version of software.  At the same time, in a production environment don't apply changes everytime a new version comes out that you upset your site's perceived "stability" or you wear yourself out testing and ensuring that each release works for your production environment.  Seriously consider an upgrade at least once a year to stay "in the game".

I really don't mind doing the upgrades, given that I am new and I learn more and more with each install/upgrade, so please don't take this as criticism...just trying to get a sense of the road ahead and adjust my plans accordingly.

Answer:  good attitude.  It all depends on your goals, strategy, finances and resilence.