Similarly, Slackware Linux's last stable release was 14.2, in June, 2016, but their -current release tree was last updated.... yesterday.
Now, I could be super huffy that they haven't released in years, but this is open source software that I'm not paying for. Moreover, I have the power to choose multiple alternatives. I can run the -current release. I can make my own "pseudo-release" by just forking here and calling this "14.2.1". Or I can use a different distro.
It would be really entitled of me to demand Patrick make a new release just because I want one, especially when he doesn't owe me anything, and I have multiple alternatives. And besides, the project is still going, it's just not doing what I want it to do; and that's Pat's prerogative.
I mean, you're right on all points, yet I confess I would be a lot more willing to give Slackware a try again if it would return to having a more-or-less annual official release, like it managed from its start in 1993 up through 2013. (Mast years prior to 2000 it had more than one release a year!)
There are things I (dimly) remember genuinely liking about Slackware in terms of its philosophy, but as near as I can tell the official installation method is "install the most recent ISO, then update from there," and when the most recent ISO is three and a half years old, that's not a great look. We've now gone the longest length in Slackware's history without even a point release.
I wouldn't demand Patrick make a new release, but I don't think it's wildly unreasonable to expect one by now. Bringing it back to the original article, I think the same can be said of pipenv.
Now, I could be super huffy that they haven't released in years, but this is open source software that I'm not paying for. Moreover, I have the power to choose multiple alternatives. I can run the -current release. I can make my own "pseudo-release" by just forking here and calling this "14.2.1". Or I can use a different distro.
It would be really entitled of me to demand Patrick make a new release just because I want one, especially when he doesn't owe me anything, and I have multiple alternatives. And besides, the project is still going, it's just not doing what I want it to do; and that's Pat's prerogative.