OpenERP S.A. says that they are aware of this issue :
<<
We realize that up to now OpenERP was sending within a few days a
patch to the customer or partner, but was taking time to merge it into
the latest stable version of OpenERP. We have reinforced the support
team to ensure that the patches will be merged promptly.
This reactivity is more demanding on us, but will allow us to provide
superior customer satisfaction.
>>
Let's see if we see a change in the coming 2 months. If not, then I
will join you on the initiative to maintain a community-driven stable
branch.