I guess I'm a dissenter here. I'm somewhat wary about an ACKS 2.0. If a new edition is released it seems there would be a large catalog a associates products that would also need a second edition. Autarch is pretty much a 1 man operation, and that would mean Alex spending quite a bit of effort on pretty much the same material. I do like the HFH as that provides a different framework to use with ACKS core. What I'd find most interesting is if autarch created other frameworks built upon ACKS. Maybe there could be a post-apocalypse handbook or a cyberpunk handbook? I recall at one time Alex mentioned creating a sci-fi version of ACKS to simulate space opera, but he also likened it to Traveller, which confused me as I think of Traveller as not being very much like space opera. Maybe he could prove me wrong on that score, or create a handbook(s) that address one and/or both approaches.
Such "framework" handbooks wouldn't have to be limited to just supporting the genre they were written for in isolation. I am currently lifting material from White Star and SWN to replace the Astral Reavers in my Dwimmermount campaign.
I think an ACKS 2.0 would be more viable if and when ACKS gains a larger presence, and Autarch has more resources available in terms of man-hours. My 2¢ as someone never professionally involved in game publishing.