That's one of the draws, sure. But it's also nice to be able to replicate shell scripts or clever unix file hacks with a complete set of syntax compatible util

That's one of the draws, sure. But it's also nice to be able to replicate shell scripts or clever unix file hacks with a complete set of syntax compatible utilities so that less "translation" needs to happen. If you don't need all that back-end compatibility stuff (running gcc, etc.), this can be a much quicker and easier approach.