Does bitcointalk.org have an owner or how development can be so dead?

Yes, the forum has an administrator who is technically the owner as of today. The development doesn't seem "dead" but it's painfully slow and one of the reasons is probably because the admin is reluctant to let go the current forum set up which he feels is efficient and secure.
Just read up the thread, you will see some quotes from the admin himself about why things are probably not being worked on so fast.