While the beta phase, people very often mixed up the different versions, the name of the file for installation for vm1.1 is com_virtuemart_1.1.5.j15.zip. So people often saw just the 15 and got confused. As we started with vm1.5 it was planned only to port the backend to MVC, fast as possible. But then we decided also to port the frontend and changed a lot core behaviours (Templating, Calculation, Plugins). We were asked why we do not call it virtuemart 2. The core is completly rewritten, the tables differently organized and so on.
So from now on the branch virtuemart 1.5 is renamed to virtuemart 2, to reflect the progress better and to avoid confusion.
We will change all names and projects (redmine, forum) to the new name during the weekend.
In future will use the odd number system, so we could call vm1.5 also vm1.9 or so, but this would lead in the situation now to more confusion. The roadmap for the this year is to complete virtuemart 2 and to enhance it during the year with a wide ranging plugin structure, security, speed and more multi-x features (multistore, multivendor, multidomain). The generall philosophy is now to use the pluginsystem as best as possible and to provide a small stable core.
The next beta (now just vm2beta2 in future versioning system it would have been vm1.9.3) will contain joomla 1.6 compability. It will also contain a coupon system, the review system is on the way. We will provide more layouts and a new template. We are just adding a browse category view (at the moment there is only a browse products of a category view). It will contain more hooks for plugins. When beta2 is released, all 3thd party developers are invited to give ideas to the plugin system (lacking hooks) and to write payment plugins shipped with the payment plugin all in one installer.
Then we freeze implementing features and will take a special look on the security, fix uprising bugs and make a Release Candidate (vm2 RC, in future versioning system vm1.9.4) which should be already ready for operative environment. The deadline for the RC is end of march.
The next subversion vm2.2 maybe end of the year.