> What happened to 4.7?

Answer: There was no intermediate beta version.

As now Limewire minor version numers use an even number for releases (published on the main download page), and an odd number for betas, the minor version jumped from 4.6.x to 4.8.x.

The third subversion number is used for minor updates that may include some fixes, or some reviewed translations, but no additional feature.

After version 4.8.x, Limewire may still publish several 4.8.x minor updates, or may now prepare a future version 5.0.x within several betas 4.9.x...

Beta versions are necessary sometimes to test some new features, that may, or may not be part of the next release, depending on test results. They are needed because Limewire can't be immediately sure that these features will not cause more problems than they will solve them. They are also needed because some internal tuning parameters are still unspecified, and their value can't be tweaked by testing it on a too limited number of client configurations. Finally, these betas may receive negative opinions from users, for example a major change in the user interface. Betas are in fact calls for comments and review by users.