The Times They Are A'Changin'

I was just doing a mental inventory of all the cool technology I wish I was a master of, and I realized that my inventory is very different than just a couple years ago: A Couple Years Ago

• Java
• Linux
• Oracle

I was convinced that this technology stack was the key to my fortune. You can still probably make a fortune this way, but I'm convinced now that my heart lies elsewhere: Today's Inventory

• Cocoa / Objective-C
• Mac OS X
• Ruby
• Ruby On Rails

What's the essential difference? I'm choosing smaller, more thoughtful communities, and more elegant, more beautiful techniques. Speaking of community, Martin Fowler has this to say about what makes Ruby special.