Well actually that's not true. You use the best tools for the job. Front end can be done in PHP/Ruby/Django quickly while the entire back-end can be written in java or lisp. It all depends on what you need and what is the fastest, most scalable way to accomplish it.

That is true intelligence.

In my eyes Good and Trendy vs Good and Not Trendy is irrelevant. They are both good, so solve the problem.

Oh and "rails does not prove your smarts" should be: "Using technology X does not prove your smarts." because there will always be another X. Today its Rails, tomorrow its Open Sails, and the day after we all go back to Lisp.

My point, put more directly is that using something good only because it's good suggests intelligence.

My previous post only applies to the perspective of an outside observer who must guess at the reasons for a given technology choice.