Any news 2.5 final release date?

Here's my $.02 on the whole thing, as both a software developer/integrator and a rabid fan:

1. Kudos to ED for not releasing DCS 2.5 as is to the release branch. As great as 2.5 is, the bugs would turn people off more than the wait. Those of us who are hardcore have the OpenBeta, and those who will complain will likely do so regardless.
   
2. Not finding these major bugs is understandable. Detecting a memory leak requires a test with a long duration (even then with no guarantees unless you know what you're looking for), and detecting many multiplayer issues (including the aforementioned memory leak) requires a lot of clients with disparate configurations.
   
3. Similarly, regression testing normally just checks things around new features to make sure the new code didn't break earlier code. This is as much art as science, and is a tall order in a complex piece of software like DCS.
   
4. However, 2.5 was advertised, even promised by the end of January, with a migration plan specifying 1-2 weeks following an OpenBeta period. Yes, that assumes OB tested well, but that will be addressed in my next bullet.
   
5. I respect and applaud what the moderators here are doing in facilitating as much information as feasible on the forums. However, since we are now five weeks past the OB release, ED should be putting out updates at the same level of exposure as their 2.5 announcements. I have a few friends who are waiting on the 2.5 release to come back into DCS, and they are not forum hounds like the rest of us. They rely on announcements like the weekly newsletters. This is the medium that ED should use to communicate progress following the expired deadline.
   
6. The longer we have to wait for official updates, the more frustrated or jaded people become. Hype with stagnation becomes cynicism. Even if the update is a couple of sentences in a newsletter like "we fixed a couple of minor multiplayer connection issues, and we're still working on the memory leak," this update is appreciated by all and also gives us a feel for progress without improperly articulating a timeline.
   

I guess that was a little more than $.02, but there you have it!

Well said, Home Fries.

It's beta and I am good with that. It's beta so that means, to me, there will be bugs in the beta build for Beta 2.5. I am excited about completed releases and I am very happy with this beta build for Beta 2.5.

I second that. I'm sure the devs are doing everything they can to polish and release 2.5. The problem lies within their communication strategy... First they say "We promise to release DCS 2.5 by the end of January". Then DCS 2.5 release turns into the release of 2.5 Open Beta. Then they say just wait two more weeks and it will be out of beta. Now five weeks later, still in Beta and clearly not ready. Come on ED... Seriously?

To be fair, which news should ED give us? They are working hard on the issues... That´s it. Sure, on friday they can tell us again, that they are still working hard on the issues. And next friday, next update, that they are still working hard on the issues.... When it takes time, we have to accept it. They are not Harry Potters. ED will release 2.5 when it is finished enough. And that´s not the case now.

Ok, maybe they haven´t noticed some of the issues..- but to be honest I haven´t noticed any issue in 2.5OB so far... Memory issue? I didn´t know anything about it.. Issues with lightning, shadows, nights, stuttering, etc...?I´m glad, that´s not the case on my system so far...I´m very happy with 2.5 and i´m really surprised with it´s performance.. Also I haven´t any crash since 2.5. So not everyone have so major bugs like ohters with it. ED is making a great job with this sim and a great progress in the right direction. Give them time.