Yesterday evening we attended a panel discussion with DHH and Rails Core Members Jeremy Kemper and Michael Koziarski.
DHH elaborated on default choices (like database, templating system and test suite) after being asked if Rails would switch over to RSpec instead of TestUnit. The answer was that Rails offers several defaults, which should suffice for new and basic users, who don’t know about all options and just want to get started. More experienced users will generate a taste for different components and Rails should provide for easy integration of these components if needed.
All in all there wasn’t any really new stuff to be heard, but a nice gathering non the less.