Programming language popularity works like fashion, but not because developers are shallow and finicky. It's because it's actually important what other developers are using. You could have the best programming language ever, but libraries, resources, help, and advice won't exist until you have a lot of people using it. There's enough adventurous programmers to bootstrap this cycle with new languages, but the general principle holds.
I agree to an extent. That stuff matters when you're starting out and just learning. But after you get to a certain level the 'language ecosystem' isn't important at all IMHO.
Massively disagree: once I get to a certain level, there's no way in hell I want to waste my time implementing all of (java) commons-lang, or my own sqlite bindings, etc.
When the languages ecosystem is flourishing, I am productive. When it's not, I'm shaving yaks that prefer not to be shaved.
No one wants to implement all of java commons-lang in their language of choice because they'd be lynched by the languages users. I no of no other language with a standard library as annoyingly verbose and complicated as java.
