Yeah I love new stuff too, though now that I'm a software developer by trade, I'm starting to lose my lust for beta software and enjoy things that just *work* when I use them. The Empeg is my one luxury where I don't mind a bug or three if I can get new features early... But I also realize that posting here asking when the next beta will be released doesn't help me get it any faster.
As you've noted, Empeg development (both the official and unofficial variety) is a labor of love. It's a platform that has amazing potential that's still yet to be tapped, and in this era when a 3 month old PDA is outdated, I think that's pretty impressive. That quality is what makes programmers put a little extra in, and we all appreciate the results.
Now if I could just work out the bugs in my autopilot code...