v0.8.0.rc.2 came up as a firmware option in Particle Dev so I thought, "why not try".
So I used that version this evening, instead of v0.8.0.rc.1.
Problem raised is that upon flashing my app OTA or via DFU, the Photon would enter safe mode.
The following event was kicked up in the console (noting device = "particle-internal"):
spark/safe-mode-updater/aborted Too many tries February 7th at 10:41:05 pm particle-internal
No doubt this is because v0.8.0.rc.2 has not been formally released and perhaps not ready for download.
So, the answer to "why not try" might be "because it isn't ready"!