Pixie is developed in a cycle with a series of stages. The cycle loops for each new version.
A plan is agreed upon for what the goals are for the next version of the software. Then a branch is forked from the main branch, named after the new version being created. New features are created, documented, tested, etc. New user interface elements are translated into each supported language.
Once the goals for the new version have been achieved, testing can commence. A beta release is created, with a number. 'beta1', 'beta2', etc. New betas are rolled out regularly to test fixes and changes based on user feedback to refine the update.
If testing reveals the new update is ready to be rolled out, then pre-release work is done to prepare for release. This includes creating tutorials and example files to show off new features, drafting an announcement for the new version, and building versions of the software for all platforms and software distribution systems, and uploading the software in preparation for release.
The announcement is pushed live to the website, the URL for the latest stable version of the web app is updated to point to the new version, download links for the software are updated the latest version, and pre-release versions of the software are pushed to release.
After Release, feedback is collected and the release is monitored for bugs or other issues that may have slipped through. Minor bug fixes are pushed out as patch releases to fix issues as they are detected, and Stage 1 commences again.