In a recent thread, TurboBlaze noted that

I don't use a desktop so didn't know anything about this LTS thing, but it looks like a plausible reason.

It made me think about Xfce. 4.14 has not appeared yet in current (or has it and I missed it?)

A naive search indicated that Xfce 4.16 (Final Release) is currently planned for "Around June 2020"
-- https://wiki.xfce.org/releng/4.16/roadmap

Does it suggest that we should expect Slackware at best in the second half of 2020? Or is there any issue with the current state of 4.14?

Again I am not familiar with the domain; just trying to figure out what could be roadblocks for Slackware.

Thanks for the information, philanc.
A LTS version of KDE-plasma would certainly be welcome in -current. I think a LTS version of KDE5 along with XFCE 4.14 would bring us much closer to the release of Slackware 15.0 (my 2 cents worth).

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Along with a LTS QT5 release. IMO those three things are what is holding the release at this point.

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There will NOT be a true LTS release of entire Plasma5, if we look at the past.

At least, a Qt5 and Plasma releases on LTS style, but the KDE frameworks will go as usual.

See what happened with Plasma 5.12.x

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If that's the case then the reasons are pretty bad IMHO.
There is no reason why software can't be upgraded later.

Actually, I'd say important desktop packages that most people use (desktop users), like XFCE should be upgraded every time there is a new point release.
No, it would not be a rolling distro - keep kernel and libs as is if possible.
Just give us desktop users a more functional desktop for Pete's sake!

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If i'd ship without either (nor KDE/Plasma nor XFCE4) I'd still use Slackware and would most probably get XFCE4 from SBo

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I never stated / implied it should be a rolling release; I am merely observing that this development period for Slackware has been unusually long, and I am not the only one waiting for Plasma 5, which at this point should be considered more than stable, same with XFCE.

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No, you haven't missed it. And it probably hasn't appeared in -current with good reason, inasmuch as it's not as stable as 4.12. A couple of us here moved over to 4.14 for a short while and moved back.

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The xfce4 desktop has been in Slackware since at least release 13.0, the thing people are talking about is the digits AFTER the 4. (that is if 4.14 - or even later - should replace 4.12).

BTW:
- Slackware 13.0 and .1 had xfce 4.6.1 - still in the xap group
- release 13.37 updated that to 4.6.2
- in 14.0 the separate xfce group of packages was introduced, with 4.10 as the version
- 14.1 updated this to 4.10.1
- and 14.2 (as well as UP-to-now -current) distributed the 4.12 series.

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Ah, good to know. Was it long time ago? with Robby Workman packages?

So even Xfce 4.14 lack of maturity/stability (not to mention the future 4.16!) may drag down the next Slackware release...

Maybe leave DE's to outside maintainers and just offer WM's?

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This concept already exists.

That would be up to the maintainer. I would not be in favor of that scenario.

Yes! but since the KDE poll, we all know this is a minority opinion And since his now famous "not if but when" comment, we also know that Pat is not part of this minority...

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Ahh, completely forgot about that poll.