Can 6.x-1.x-dev be used on a live website?

No it cannot and you should in general not use dev versions of modules on live sites.

Why shouldn't dev versions be used if they work totally fine?
Do dev releases pose security risks?

When a bug that affects me is fixed in dev...I use it until the next stable release arrives.
Especially if that bug would handicap or disadvantage the site if I continued using the stable release.

What are your reasons for saying dev modules shouldn't be used in general?

Thanks :)

@jonwiz this dev in particular is not near stable (read more here).
And in general it is not recommended to use dev version just because they usually are not stable. Of course that I use too dev versions, but before using them on a live site I look over the change log and maybe also do a diff to see what exactly changed in code.
And yeah, dev releases can pose security risks AFAIK.
Cheers :)

I agree with andreiashu. The use of development snapshots is a risk, especially in the case they are not stable.

In the case of XML Sitemap I expressly wrote do not use on production site in the project page; that means do not use the project modules if you don't mean to help in the developing by reporting the issue they have.

Using dev releases really needs to be looked at on a case by case basis. There are some modules that seem to be in dev forever and they work just fine. Others, like mine, are where ongoing development is happening and they should not be used except for testing. If a project page says don't use it, take their advice. :)

Michelle

If this version can't be used for production site. Which module to use interim? I've a production site that I want to be indexed by search engines.

Thanks,
=gk

I'm a true newbie to Drupal: I outsourced development of my site to a 3rd party, who are true 'open-source adepts' and do all their work on Drupal. They delivered my site last december (in production) with with XMLsitemap 6.x-1.x-dev installed, which at that point in time was stable (in any case on the parts of it that my site uses).

However, when checking the Drupal status report and the updates page, Drupal itself 'recommends upgrade' to each new dev-version that becomes available..... Due to that, I installed 2 or 3 instable versions before on 28th December a new 'semi-stable' release came by.....

I find it strange that even for dev-versions, Drupal itself keeps recommending to upgrade with each new development snapshot of a module....

I agree; the page should not recommend to upgrade to a development snapshot.
I guess that in this case it happens because there are only development snapshots; in other cases, the Drupal page doesn't recommend to upgrade to a development snapshot.

Yes, if you are on the dev snapshot it tells you when there is a new one. That is by design. If you are running bleeding edge, you want to know when the edge moves. You will never be told to move to a dev snapshot when you are on a stable release. Your developers should not have installed a dev snapshot without explaining the risks to you.

Michelle

Pragmatically, in version 6.8, no it can't be used since it doesn't work properly.

My suggestion would be to use Views to make a standard HTML sitemap - you could even make it pretty with Panels.