# Enable updates only to a given release

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-updates-only-to-a-given-release/56277
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [24 يناير 2017، 4:41م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-updates-only-to-a-given-release/56277 "2017-01-24T16:41:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 21

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### Author: ![erlend\_sh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/erlend_sh/32/119475_2.png) [@erlend\_sh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/erlend_sh)
#### Post date: [25 يناير 2017، 11:00ص UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-updates-only-to-a-given-release/56277/21 "2017-01-25T11:00:54Z")

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I think it’s pretty funny that we’re now arguing about going from `tests-passed` to `beta`, since back in the day the argument was about going from `beta` to `stable` 😂

> [@Please don't pressure self-installers to be on Beta branch](https://meta.discourse.org/t/please-dont-pressure-self-installers-to-be-on-beta-branch/32237):
>
> I’ve heard this a couple times now, and understand where you’re coming from, but being on Beta is not doable for us. We have no dedicated sysadmin or web developer who can attend to the plethora of smaller things that can pop up on the Beta branch: Theme-breaking updates UX changes that we’d like reverted Plugin incompatibilities I also like knowing what’s coming. It allows me to tease new features to our users, and plan new workflows. Every tech-savvy person knows that “Stable” is the plac…

I guess that changed at some point.

I’m still on the self-hoster’s side of the argument, but Discourse as a project is clearly in a tough predicament on this one.

In the WordPress community, self-hosters default to `stable` while [wordpress.com](http://wordpress.com) is on the equivalent of `tests-passed`. There’s no doubt this has been a huge contributor to WP’s developer ecosystem, since developers can take aim at a stable target for about 3-5 months at a time. Say what you will about WP’s wild assortment of plugins; the level of developer engagement they have is unprecedented.

The price they pay for this is all the work that [backporting security fixes](https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/about/release-cycle/releasing-minor-versions/) entails. I’m not sure how much work it would take to backport only critical security releases to the Discourse `stable` branch, but I’m sure it’s not trivial. We need to get bigger before we can feasibly absorb that cost on behalf of the community.

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