I highly doubt that most spec/project leaders abandon their projects because they consider it a 'professional disappointment.' I can't think of any such projects off the top of my head. On the contrary, I imagine that many feel that they have little left to contribute and want a fresher pair of hands to guide it forwards.

Everything 'should' be judged on its own merits, but humans have a tendency to make snap judgements. We make them everyday when we see someone we've never met, or are introduced to someone new. To be fair, my statement was based on my personal opinion and feelings after reading Eran's piece. Perhaps OAuth 2 really is going to take off, but I can't imagine how terrible something would have to be to give up 3-5 years of my life's work.

edit: To be clear, I should acknowledge that sometimes snap judgements are wrong. Sometimes they are right. But when we make them, we save ourselves the burden of exhaustively investigating _every_ possible technology, or that everyone might be a great person and friend. Eran's post was enough to convince me that I should stay away from OAuth 2 until convinced otherwise.