> it requires devoting time and effort towards its upkeep, and that is not our core business, nor should it be.

I would try to argue that this in fact may be subjective.

For me, updating all the dependencies in my stack every morning is a productivity routine that gets me started. If I spend a 30 minutes studying changelog of a dependency and linked github issues, I don't see that time as wasted even though it often does not contribute to the business. I think it has three benefits.

- easy morning start routine to get going

- developer education, expanding horizons

- code climate; having warn feeling in the gut of not falling behind, wanting to avoid dirty plugs and monkey patches, ability to work on the HEAD, should an issue arise.