That is not the point AT ALL. This isn't about knocking out one-off scripts to do useful things, it's about trying out the language to see if it's worth install

That is not the point AT ALL. This isn't about knocking out one-off scripts to do useful things, it's about trying out the language to see if it's worth installing at all. _why the lucky stiff did a lot for Ruby evangelism. This site combined with the Poignant Guide turned a lot of curious folks into converts. I know this stuff despite being a Python fanatic. I have great respect for what _why did for the Ruby and programming communities in general.