A Programmers Conundrum: Doing the same thing in a completely different way

I've begun to embark on a quest to understand development in Ubuntu and make myself a more active user.  This quest led me to getting involved with guys that develop the Loco Team Portal and Summit site.  Its python, django, sql, and bazaar.  Three of the four I have never used before.  I've done web development before.  I've used C#, Java, and PHP.  I've used Asp.NET, Grails, and CakePHP.  I've used Visual SourceSafe, Subversion, and Git.  On paper this is simple, similar task new frameworks for doing it.  Reality is much more difficult.