Boy, I sure don't agree that one should be able to be productive with any tool. At least initially.

Recently I took a contract that put me in a situation where I was required to use Visual Interdev (the signs were there, I should have heeded my better judgement and refused the job).

I did my damndest to make it work, the problem not being making it "work" but being truly productive in my own mind AND not wanting to drive my fist through the monitor every five minutes (this was hard).

I found myself continually missing perl, realizing I was trying to solve a problem in a perlish way, only to be forced to some asinine (IMHO) solution.

Even harder than working with the tools, was working with people who had no idea that something else could exist that was better suited to solving the problem (building dynamic web-based database applications). and dealing with ignorant evangelicals..."just drink the damn kool-aid"

So I prematurely ended the relationship and found something perfect. Something Perl. Had to refuse another very cool Perl job to take the one I am in now. and work is again, a pleasure.