DNN 9.7.0 was slated as the next big release on our roadmap.  Plans included a new Resource Manager for managing digital assets.  While we were still working on the new Resource Manager and marching towards the 9.7.0 release, we received a nice mix of bug fixes and new features as pull requests.  And since we were aiming for a minor release, we did not separate bug fixes from new features. 

With development on the new Resource Manager not yet completed, we faced a decision point for the latest release.  We could hold bug fixes a while longer and release 9.6.3, or simply release 9.7.0 and push the new Resource Manager out to 9.8.0.  After some team deliberation, we realized that it is quite hard to work with milestones for specific versions when we cannot possibly know in advance which contributions will come in the meantime.

Therefore, we have reworked our issue management process once again to accommodate a better approach and philosophy.  Until now we were trying to assign issues to a milestone for a specific version number, where a resolution could be included, providing someone would contribute a pull request to address it.  This process was inefficient and confusing for many.  And, for each new release, we had to reassign every single unresolved issue to a new milestone for the next specific version number. 

Moving forward, we will use milestones for specific version numbers only on pull requests.  For issues, we have created new milestones as follows:

• Future: Major
  Issues that represent a breaking change that will go into a major release (e.g., major.minor.patch).

• Future: Minor
  Issues that represent a non-breaking feature that will go into a minor release (e.g., major.minor.patch).

• Future: Patch
  Issues that represent a bug fix, or non-breaking enhancement, that will go into a patch release (e.g., major.minor.patch).

We hope this process will bring more flexibility and clarity for issue owners and followers.  With this new flexibility, we will now be able to decide on the desired version number just prior to the actual release.  We will always assume the next release to be a patch release unless new features are contributed that warrant a minor or major release.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we work together to enhance the overall experience for DNN users worldwide!