delayed_job looks like a good alternative to backgroundrb
Running through some of the things that are problematic with Rails : Engine Yard’s list of what they don’t recommend includes backgroundrb.
Backgroundjob doesn't look terribly great and there isn't too much documentation around, but delayed_job looks pretty straightforward to use: http://railstips.org/2008/11/19/delayed-gratification-with-rails. Apparently Github uses it quite a bit behind the scenes. You just use your normal code but use specific methods that turn them into delayed jobs.
