The big problem I see with a release in November is the time of year. For many folks in the retail sales market this is the big time of year that puts them into the profit side. Many people just cannot risk switching over to a new cart version at the peak of their sales season. With all new releases there are always bugs and patches to deal with. Yes I know QT claims to release only stable versions. One only needs to look at the change logs to see that we have different definitions.
For me it I don't mind minor bugs and doing updates and patches helps me to better understand how my cart functions for me and my customer. Not everyone has that luxury nor wants it. I guess the main point I want to make to QT is to put a little more thought into timings of releases. Think about who uses X-cart and what types of business they are. If 40% of the carts out there are retail sites that rely on holiday sales, then either plan ahead for better timing or push back releases. It is frustrating to think about wanting to upgrade but know you should not risk it if you fall into this category. Add to that frustration watching the creative members of this forum coming up with new tweaks and bells which you cannot attempt until you can upgrade after the holidays.
Sorry QT, I do not mean this as a rant, more of a think about your clients.