Why does 'the dev' have to do all the work?
Couldn't the community join together, come up with a game plan, and promote themselves?
Well, the community could support Primecoin by helping promote it and strengthen the network via the use of nodes and miners. However, a developer would be of great use to Primecoin since it will allow it to stay up to date with the latest features and security available within crypto land.
Up until now, Primecoin is doing fine without any development but it will turn out to become obsolete over time if no one steps in to "renew" it. I'm sure that with the wide audience of fans that Primecoin has, someone will become interested into giving it a fresh new start.
The day when development comes in for Primecoin, it will be such were it will gain traction not only in price but popularity as well. The greatest things that XPM still has are speed, unique algorithm, and ease of use for micropayments.
In the meantime, all we could do is just promote and support the coin to help it survive for the long term. As long as there are exchanges, nodes, and miners available for the good old XPM, nothing could go wrong. Just my thoughts.