I've been using Bootstrap more or less since it first came on the scene - my design skills leave much to be desired, so the ability to pick up bootstrap + a pre-made theme for the web apps I develop has been a huge benefit to focusing on development (php/mysql) rather than wasting time on UIs and the HTML/CSS/Images/Javascript. But pretty much every time I go to start a new project, there seems to be a new version of bootstrap out... and usually with significant rather than minor changes, so the UIs I have put together before would needing updating to work 100%. I'm just curious what others think - do you like the quick and continual evolution, or would you prefer more stability? I'd certainly prefer the latter at this point! And if so, any suggestions for making things as painless as possible in terms of moving up to new releases? What do other people do in terms of keeping up with new bootstrap versions?
The framework market is highly competitive, bootstrap has to keep cranking out new versions to stay ahead of Zurb Foundation (and vice versa). Now, that doesn't mean that you, as a developer, have to keep up. The browser technology doesn't change as rapidly as the frameworks do, they are just finding more efficient ways of doing things in the frameworks. But, if you try to keep up with every change they make to bootstrap, you'll spend more time updating and learning than producing actual websites (and that's not very efficient).
My question would be why the blue blazes do you 'need' bootstrap in the first place, given that it's presentational use of classes and halfwit design methodology defeats the entire purpose of using CSS and modern markup in the first place. It's just more bloated asshattery to make something simple (CSS Layouts) far more complex and HARDER to do. Developers are dumber and websites are less useful to visitors thanks to idiotic asshattery like bootstrap, jquery, mootools, prototype, blueprint, YUI and even the bleeding edge of 1997 coding practices encouraged by the train wreck of nonsense known as HTML 5. Usually if any of the above are 'useful' to you as a developer, you're doing it all wrong and have completely thrown functionality, usability, sustainability and accessibility in the trash... typically for some 'gee ain't it neat' garbage that has no business on websites, bloated redundant pointless code, and sleazy shortcuts that will bite you in the arse sooner than later.
It just a framework. And I guess you using Bootstrap to make your work more quickly than you create your own framework. I think as long as your work compatible with all browser, and still responsive, you can hold to upgrade your works. People not really carry about framework update. They put more attention for blogging platform, like WordPress update. If the blogging platform getting update, developers must be quick to update their work soon.