October 2016 Summaries

Scheduled for October 25th, 2016, the platform update brings numerous version upgrades and additions, including Cassandra 2.2.8, Erlang 19.1, Elixir 1.3.4, Git 2.10.1, Gradle 3.1, MySQL 5.6.34, and PHP 5.6.27 and 7.0.12. New NodeJS versions 6.8.1 and 4.6.0 are initially added but will be replaced by versions 6.9.1 and 4.6.1 in the final release, along with security updates for Node.js 0.10.48 and 0.12.17. Users are encouraged to test the release candidate platform, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS v1610, and provide feedback to help refine the platform before the final release. The Docker-enabled platform also sees updates, including docker-engine 1.12.2 and enhanced caching for Docker images. Users can find detailed changes in the platform changelog and discuss updates on Discord.

The second annual report on Node.js version usage in commercial JavaScript projects using Semaphore reveals a trend towards newer versions, with a significant shift from Node 0.10, which is down to a third of projects from 55% the previous year, as its long-term support ends on October 31. Node version 4 is currently the LTS, while Node 6 is the "current" release, and AWS's Lambda platform added support for Node 4.3 in April 2016. The report highlights that most projects, particularly those started in 2016, are adopting the current LTS and latest versions, though there remains a diverse mix of versions in use. The article invites readers to share their approach to Node.js versioning and suggests trying Semaphore for CI/CD needs, alongside a call for discussion on their Discord channel.

Based on data from Semaphore, a continuous integration and delivery platform, a significant trend has been observed in the adoption of Ruby versions for commercial projects, with nearly 85% now using some version of Ruby 2, compared to 79% the previous year. This indicates a continued movement towards newer versions, despite a tendency for teams to treat minor versions as major, contributing to a fragmentation in version usage. When considering projects initiated in 2016, there is a clear preference for starting with the latest Ruby versions, highlighting a proactive approach to adoption. The report invites readers to share their strategies for keeping up with new Ruby releases and offers Semaphore as a solution that supports all Ruby versions, encouraging engagement through comments and discussion channels.