This is actually how I feel about Ruby. Not full on Rails because there is a lot more to learn there which comes with the time investment (which is also worth it in many cases).
But for most scripting work especially, just raw Ruby and maybe the Sequel library for a database just makes my productivity soar.
Do you have any open source examples (either your own or others) of simple Ruby + Sequel that are particularly elegant + productive that you could point to? Would love to see this.
I agree Ruby is the most elegant and enjoyable language to develop in.
But for most scripting work especially, just raw Ruby and maybe the Sequel library for a database just makes my productivity soar.