Nxt 1.7.4 update: new features and a hard fork (!) at block 621,000http://jnxt.org/countdown/?block=621000 (click for the real countdown timer)The current Nxt client software NRS (Nxt Reference Software) 1.7.4 was released at the start of this month.
It contains a number of new features and changes that will be activated once Nxt reaches block 621,000, in about 10.5 days time.
This release is the culmination of a lot of work over the last few months, and will no longer be compatible with older releases (ie anything from NRS 1.6.x and below).
For ordinary end-users this update will not be a big issue, simply ensure that you have updated your server/node software to the latest 1.7.4 version:
https://nxtforum.org/nrs-releases/nrs-v1-7-4/preferably before the hardfork block. People running older versions of the NRS after the hard fork block passes will find themselves on an invalid chain, and will be ignored by the majority 1.7.4 network.
See here for realtime details of the Nxt network:
http://www.peerexplorer.com/ As you can see, of the current 263 Nxt nodes online, 161 are running NRS 1.7.4, a substantial majority.
For people who are running an Nxt-based project (or a system that uses the Nxt API, like exchanges), the situation is slightly more complex as there have been API changes made in the step from NRS 1.5.15 to NRS 1.6.2. This means that if you have already successfully upgraded to 1.6.2/3, the upgrade to 1.7.4 will be simple as there are no substantial API changes to consider.
However, people who need to update from 1.5.15 will probably need to make code changes to accomodate these API changes.
All of the info on these API changes, and on the new features that will be implemented can be found here:
https://nxtforum.org/nrs-releases/nrs-v1-6-2/https://nxtforum.org/nrs-releases/nrs-v1-7-4/We've already posted this information on multiple fora/social media, and directly mailed it to most Nxt-based projects/exchanges with the NRS 1.6.3 release, but it can't do any harm to remind everyone.
As ever, if you have any questions, post here, ask on the Nxt forum, or give our recently created helpdesk a try:
http://nxt.org/support/