I agree. I would also propose that some esoteric features are separated out into gems. For example, String encoding could be simplified to support only UTF-8, with a gem for the few people who need something else. The Date/Time class also is a monster that supports calendar changes from the 16th century, accurate to the nanosecond.

In general, a standard library that offers a 95% of what most people need, instead of 99%, seems like a good way to go.