I just read another classic post by Martin Fowler. Among other things, he's pointing out the distinction between when it's appropriate to go learn a new language and when you should re-use the one you already know... and there's a bit of why people like Ruby as well.
Should we strive to only have one language in our development efforts?
A few gems from the posting:
...many frameworks resort to configuration files, which are effectively external DomainSpecificLanguages written in XML - which adds a jigger of 80 proof ugliness to them...
For many developers, the one-language notion is a sign of lack of professionalism....
Time and time again I hear experienced Java and C# developers report they are more effective in Ruby - which is why I've been encouraging Ruby. It wouldn't surprise me if similar reports appear in the next few years about other languages too...
Enjoy!
