releases, branches,..

[Dick Hoogendijk]

  My years of OpenSolaris made me forget the use of releases and branches.
I'm not into too much compiling anymore. I want a stable, but also safe 
server.
I'm running 8.1-RELEASE now, but what about security issues found?
What do I need to run if I want the lates and needed security patches?
I do not want to update my system (at least as few times as possible)
Which brach do I follow? I have the feeling that STABLE is too innovative(?)