[bunderbunder]

I'm finding that it really depends heavily on the domain I'm working in. Roughly speaking, if I'm dealing with "business problems" type stuff - grab data, report on it, keep a paper trail, etc. - I want a very loose and flexible programming environment with a REPL and dynamic typing and all that. Python, for example, treats me very well when I'm wearing my "data scientist" hat.

OTOH, when I'm doing more "building infrastructure" type work - implementing a data store, writing a compiler or interpreter, stuff like that - I start getting more interested in rigidity and formality. Static languages treat me well in these situations. The more rigid, the better - I'll prefer Scala to Java, for example, specifically because it gives me more tools in the type safety department.

[mclehman]

I pretty much agree with this. When I can get away with it performance-wise (and I almost always can for personal projects), this is a big part of why I love using Perl 6.

I recently rolled my own (verg tiny and specific) build/deployment system for a project. Initial prototyping was a breeze, but once I had things more or less nailed down, I started adding types and, for example, was able to leverage the type system to make sure it can only be deployed listening on IP addresses in the private range. The next step is to rig up some sort of Zerotier integration to ensure I only make it available on my private networks.

[azureus]

Yes, I wish I had clarified that I meant that Clojure beats everything else for me for what you describe as "business problems" and also, I've found it quite enjoyable for writing simple games. Im afraid im not well qualified to comment on what "infrastucture" type work would be like, and what is best for it.