In sum: let's be a bit less conservative, a bit more open to new ideas as they come in. There's nothing sacred about the code base. It's something we collectively build, fixing problems, opening new possibilities (complete with their own issues and problems), moving beyond the limitations of the inception while staying true to the founding goals and vision.
I'll try my best. Though bear in mind that we've been in a 1.5 month code freeze during which I didn't commit any significant improvements.
Yes, looking back on the past one and a half year since I am around, I have seen not much stable code accepted, and then refined. I still think that the "anytime CVS is stable enough" rule should be kept in mind. So some sacrifice in features might be desired, but stability should not be thrown off. Goba