Don't Fear the Dev Version

 When I first started using Drupal I would barely even glance at the dev versions of modules. I mean, I knew that they were there but why bother with a dev version when there are full versions ready to go? What I have since discovered is that you can miss out on a lot of really great functionality by sticking with the recommended versions of modules.

My misconception is that "dev" meant "broken" or "unstable" and this really isn't true. My experience so far is that when you're talking about the dev version of a module that has a stable version currently in use is that it can be every bit as usable as the stable version - with the added benefit of cool new features that you may want or need.

Having said that, there's no reason to jump right into a dev version of a module that's doing what you want it to do already, but if you read about some features that the dev version has that you would like to add to your site don't be afraid to give it a shot. If you're still concerned about it take a look at the usage statistics for the dev version, then look at the bug reports. If there's no deal breakers there then you're probably safe.