❓ What is the difference between "releasing" and "shipping"?

Someone asked: "What is the difference between releasing and shipping?" Are they the same thing?

In one sense they are. However, drawing a distinction here—though somewhat arbitrary—is helpful in this context.

Release: Make something available.

Ship: Deliver to the customer for sale.

Releasing is part of the process to get something to the point where it provides enough value that customers will pay for it. Releasing is the way useful work gets shared with others and the delivery process gets refined. Releasing enables early feedback needed to know exactly what to build. The Release is the way different disciplines communicate around what the team is building. Releases are a concrete measure of development progress. Releases build confidence in the product.

The problem arises when the two are considered equivalent—when there is no release until ship. Then inevitable surprises pile up.