Why does cups get updated so often? [closed]

Almost every time I get a software update, I see cups, or packages with cups in their names, being updated.

Is that normal? It seems to have been happening for years, regardless of the Ubuntu version I run. I've always been curious - cups seems to be on fire - far more active than any other F/LOSS project.

CUPS is an acronym for Common Unix Printing System. So when a new printer comes out, it needs to be added to the database (one portion of the update). If it uses the same commands as a previous printer from the manufacturer, then the drivers are already in the database, otherwise new drivers are needed (second portion of the update).

At a guess it is because it seems to have been purchased and developed by Apple for Mac and other Unix-like systems (including Linux).

Since it is funded by a company—not grants, fund raising etc., more money can be poured into its development than most open source projects.

You can find some more information here and on the CUPS wikipedia page.