Question: Can I run an interpreted language (or one with a big dev footprint) on the arduino? I can't write C or C++.
Answer:
Yes, there are a few implementations of interpreted languages for the Arduino, including a port of TinyBASIC and a purpose-built language called "Bitlash".
However, most modern, dynamic scripting languages are too complex to fit in the Arduino's very limited RAM and program memory.
Languages that fall into this category:
java
php
perl
batch
shell
ruby
javascript
tcl
python
You can use these languages to communicate with the arudino, but in general, code in these languages will not run on the board.
Note: there are some marginal ways to turn interpreted languages into bytecode which may run on the arudino if you have the correct set of compilers, linkers and libraries. But this is usually a non-trivial task with limited utility.