asterisk users - Dec 2011 - Which language and tool to write diaplans ?

Hi,

Today, I mostly use AEL2 when writing diaplans but I'm wondering if I
should move to something else.

Which language and tool would you recommend to write diaplans ?

For instance, is Asterisk-LUA a good alternative ?
Or shall I completly move to AGI and write most things in python, Java
or anything else ?

For instance, I used to think I needed some syntax highlighting
support by text editor but I'm not so sure anymore.

Regards