The release model is a mess. Most people tend to stick with using Spacemacs on the `develop` branch, which means updating via `git pull --rebase` every so often as well as the inbuilt `SPC f e U`.

I've been using Spacemacs for around a year on the `develop` branch. For me it's fine, but for those who want a very stable experience I don't recommend it -- it does break sometimes.