When I joined MySQL back in June of 2005, one of the first “MySQL
Truths” I learned and repeated often when discussing MySQL with
others was “release early, release often.” If you’ve been using
MySQL for any length of time, you know what that statement means
– it meant that MySQL was: (1) dedicated to getting new features
and enhancements into the hands of its community so the
software’s quality could be validated; (2) eager to take early
feedback on those features so the input could rapidly be
incorporated back into the product allowing everyone to benefit;
(3) committed to very frequent releases of the software so
helpful new features and/or external contributions that were
ready for action could quickly be put into play and not sit idle
on the shelf. And if you’ve been around Open Source for a while
now, you know this is the spirit in which most providers of Open
Source software operate.