What is happening is that the language/framework continues to grow/mature/(get older). Not sure if that is a good thing. My guess is that as more Use Cases are being implemented a lot of the early simplicity is being lost. As it gets older it starts to accumulate good stuff and bad stuff. Just like any other language. I think most languages go through this.
<satire>
My guess is that eventually there will be another golden boy and a whole new generation of programmers will swear that it is the best thing since the invention of the wheel while at the same time complaining of all the baggage and bad decisions made in Ruby/Rails and ridiculing anybody that still uses it. Meanwhile the Ruby/Rails developers will look and scratch their heads wondering what all the hate is about. After all, Ruby/Rails gets the job done even if it is not perfect and anybody that is a language fanboy does not have a brain. After all, a programming language is just a tool. A whole generation latter the cycle repeats itself with yet another golden boy language. Sigh! To be young and stupid. Those were the days.
</satire>
There was another golden boy, it was called Merb. Then their team joined Rails and started refactoring things…
Members of the Rails core team recognize that growth has limits. They are looking for ways to reduce the stack to improve the design and make things more performant. See Aaron Patterson's RailsConf 2011 keynote.
<satire> My guess is that eventually there will be another golden boy and a whole new generation of programmers will swear that it is the best thing since the invention of the wheel while at the same time complaining of all the baggage and bad decisions made in Ruby/Rails and ridiculing anybody that still uses it. Meanwhile the Ruby/Rails developers will look and scratch their heads wondering what all the hate is about. After all, Ruby/Rails gets the job done even if it is not perfect and anybody that is a language fanboy does not have a brain. After all, a programming language is just a tool. A whole generation latter the cycle repeats itself with yet another golden boy language. Sigh! To be young and stupid. Those were the days. </satire>