[NullInvictus]

My read as well.

I write shell-scripts when the current tools solve the problem easily. I distribute shell scripts to colleagues (never customers) only when I absolutely do not want to install extra software on their system.

I avoid awk and perl because if I'm going to introduce a second language to a tool, I'm not going to pick the niche ones everyone only learns opportunistically if at all. At that point I'd rather pick something my colleagues are deeply familiar with.

And on a small level, writing these little binaries that truly do one thing and do it well and that I understand intimately is a private joy.

[RadiozRadioz]

Awk and Perl niche? How about "reliably installed on every GNU/Linux box this side of the century". Their fault for not knowing their own systems. Anything pre-installed is fair game.