Here is my personal theory. The configuration was too hard. Configuration had to be compiled from a python-esque format into a database. When you wanted to c

Here is my personal theory. The configuration was too hard. Configuration had to be compiled from a python-esque format into a database. When you wanted to change a config setting, you needed to modify the source file and then compile the config back into a database (sqlite, as I recall). I really wanted to like Mongrel2. But every time I went tried to change a configuration setting in development, I became frustrated. I think this is an example of trying to do too many new things at once. Just pick one thing (be an app server) and do it well. Even if compiling your config into a DB is a good idea, it won't matter if it makes it so hard to use your product that few people will.