Is Joomla! 1.7 Really Confusing?

With the release of Joomla! 1.6 and the decision by the Joomla! Leadership teams to move to a 6 month release cycle to help users upgrade easier, there has been a lot of speculation regarding the release of Joomla! 1.7 and how it will affect everyone.  Much of it is just that, speculation, but behind a lot of it is some reasonable concerns.  I mean, seriously, 1.6 did take almost 3 years to release, so why should 1.7 be any different?

Yesterday I was in a conversation with several other Joomla!-ers regarding this very topic.  And I noticed several things that might explain the shift in strategy for Joomla!, and also might help those wondering what is happening with Joomla! 1.7 and how they can help.