Ok. Lets go at this from a workflow perspective. One thing I'd like to note is the two classifications of branch.
There are canonical branches: - Dev (or Master) - Unstable (or Next) - Stable And then there are feature branches. Feature branches merge into Canonical branches as appropriate. But do Canonical branches merge into each other? I'm thinking no. But want to hear what ppl think. I feel this might be our source of collective confusion.