Bug fix releases are normal and everybody should be glad Joomla! has a quick turnaround time on getting them out the door. I'm not sure that framing the advent of a bug release in terms of "is Joomla! keeping up with Drupal?" is a very useful thing to do. Look at the timing between Drupal 6.0 and 6.1 (14 days) and you'll see that this stuff can happen. This is one of the reasons you use open source, remember? Fast response times to bugs.

The other thing I didn't like about this reporting is the tone of "Will Joomla! get it right before it is too late?" Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't seem to me that Joomla! is grasping to the last threads of relevancy in grave danger of slipping into the historical bit bucket. On the contrary, it seems to me that Joomla! is experiencing brisk growth, as is Drupal. It's not really a competition, right?

In particular, when you write your next article, if you find yourself digressing into rhetoric like "The question is, is it enough? Is it enough to rush an update based on issues with the last release at the same time Webware’s Top 100 is released?" it is time to step back and ask yourself just what impending event you're trying to insinuate. Is it enough for what? If the Joomla! bug squad is competent then their bug release better be enough to fix the bugs. Beyond that, what do you expect? How is this even remotely related to the Webware 100?

Robert Douglass - Your support of free software communities is *always* appreciated. As one who has worked on the Joomla! Bug Squad and know what those people do, I was so disheartened by this article. Seeing your supportive comments -- our Drupal partner in FOSS - lifted my spirits, as I am certain it will our JBS volunteers. Thank you sincerely.

We have so much educating to do so that people understand the value in free software. Joomla! is working towards "Release Early, Release Often". That's good.

Let's be careful not to shame free software communities into holding back improvements until "public relations thinking" warrants a release. Let's celebrate openness about admitting mistakes so that people can easily find fixes when they encounter the problem. Those are signs of community maturation.

The Joomla! Bug Squad are unsung heroes in the Joomla! community. There are 30-40 members and an extremely active base of 10+ contributors who work around the clock following through on tracker issues, making patches and testing these changes. JBS is one of many good signs of growth and maturity taking hold in our community.

Now, about Drupal and the "keeping up with the Jones" comment. Drupal is a stellar example for any free software community to observe and emulate. Drupal is a source of inspiration - for ideas - for how to do things "right." They are to be congratulated for their openness, for their deep loyalty and for they manner in which they embrace diversity of people and idea.

No one ever got better because someone else stumbled. We can, however, improve by observing one another's success. I believe Drupal certainly has had a positive impact on Joomla! - and I hope in some small way - we have - and will have - a positive impact on Drupal, as well.

Release Early, Release Often http://catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/ar01s04.html

Wow you guys are quick on the commenting! Great to see. Thank you both for your input and opinions. Good to see that there is some discussion going on! Just thought I would jump in here quick.

The main thing I think this article speaks to is that (from a user stand point when trying to decide on a CMS to use) it absolutely is a competition. And it raises some questions worthy of talking about.

Open Source is great because of the fact that it does not create the same type of competition that paid for services do, but it is a competition none the less. The end-user has to make a choice as to what to use. And in the explosion of open source CMS and web 2.0 applications, I believe you have to "keep up with the Jonses", because if you don't someone else will.

As a user of Joomla I think they do wonderful things, are always striving to better their core, and was surprised when they did not make the Webware Top 100, something I consider when looking at a CMS to use or test.

Whether they are slipping or trying to keep up or shining as always is for the organization to decide. That is some that is relative I think.

For any that remember Ultima Online (I know it's a video game but it relates) all it took was a few bad back to back updates and changes and the powerhouse online game pretty much died on it's feet except for those running private servers.

In the end, it will be up to users as to whether or not they will use Joomla, continue to use Joomla, or find another option.