If you're planning to dip your toe into the WordPress waters (or you've already dived in and gotten completely wet) the WordPress platform's development cycle is really good to know about and understand because it affects every WordPress user on a regular basis.
WordPress and its features form the foundation of your Web site. WordPress is a low-maintenance way to publish content on the Web and the software is free in terms of cost. However, WordPress isn't 100 percent maintenance free, and part of maintenance is ensuring that your WordPress software is up-to-date to keep your Web site secure and safe.
This chapter explains the development cycle for the WordPress platform and shows you how you can stay up-to-date and informed about what's going on. This chapter also gives you information on WordPress release cycles and shows you how you can track ongoing WordPress development on your own.