Well spoken.
And really, all you want Saul_goode is a release date where there is none to be had. And you want to ask about it, that is pretty clear to me.
So let's say there was a release date... hmm, let me just make something up like Dec 21st...
Now, we have two options available to us here, either we release on time (and leave the release full of bugs and missing features due to lack of time) or we miss the deadline and the forums fill up with "YOU ARE LATE!" posts and "When will we get an update to MC X.Y.Z??!?!??!?!?111ONE?"
These forums are not meant for update requests, it's not meant for complaining about release schedules. If you don't like it then that's quite alright with me (and afaik, alright with Al too) as long as you don't pester anyone on the forums about it. Because let's face it, posts asking for updates is nothing more than a plague. It clutters up the forum and wastes precious time and steals attention from more important questions/issues/discussions.
So, there is no release on Dec 21st... You will simply have to live with not knowing because nobody really truly knows until it is done. We could just as well say December 2020, it would be just as much true as any other date.
And if there wasn't any rules about asking for release dates then this forum would be 50% spam about release dates and update requests.
I prefer the ban rule over that prospect any day of the week.