So as you know, Minecraft 1.9 is around the corner, maybe even already in March. In the past, upgrading was always a huge issue because we used a piece of software called craftbukkit for our server. The authors of craftbukkit basically refused to shoot at a moving target and only started seriously working on a release for the new minecraft version after it was released. So it took some months until the release of the server and then some more until the plugin authors would be finished adapting the plugins to the new craftbukkit version.
Since we are using spigot now, there is a big change. First of all, the makers of spigot always tried to get a version out that is at least able to be used with the new minecraft version’s clients, even if one would not be able to use all new features (like new blocks) from the beginning. But they would gradually upgrade the client to eventually catch up with the latest features.
For the next version, they have been working in the background already since some time to make sure they are able to launch as soon as possible. So they made an announcement that should plugin makers help preparing to release compatible versions for 1.9. We still might have to wait some time until we can actually upgrade, but I hope this time it will take only days or possibly weeks but not months.
Let’s wait and hope for the best.