My layman's take is that this is great work (thanks!), but the major challenges that remain are:
1 - there is not clean separation between "game logic" and "display logic" code in the necessary source, so these things need to be de-coupled through refactoring
2 - this particular corner of the game is Original Gangsta - as in developed pre-DCSS - and no one working today is intimately familiar with wtf is going on in there (yet) OR if they are, they have other pressing development concerns
3 - this is a low fun project (development-wise) since it is lots of refactoring versus adding fun stuff
4 - this is low priority because the game works well for the people who play it already, so this project is mostly for people who can't / don't play the game, and it's not clear "popularity" is a central design goal
Anyway, none of this is to nay-say the idea (which I am 100% behind), just capture some of the challenges expressed in what I've read. As an interpretted languages guy, I already find it a hard enough challenge to look through the excellent refactored code. When I look at the original stuff, my head spins, otherwise I'd chip in by more than just chatting in this thread