Well it's been several rounds of RC releases with no major bug reports-- okay, no bug reports or crashes reported at all-- so I think it's time to take RC9 from the alpha testing channel to the open beta testing channel, where it will likely get a bit more exposure.
If you're trying these experimental versions for the first time, be sure to read the history of blog posts below to learn about all the great features and fixes that have been added. Be sure to report any issues you find in the forum here!