So if a language had a library that contained a single function such as:
public void ReadFileAndWriteToConsole(string fileName)
Then it would be considered to be a much better language than any other based on line count? Hmmm… there is still something wrong with your metrics (and obviously your example).
Your point about the fact that “the main work loop, if considered alone, is almost identical in every language” is a good one. However, it seems to point to the fact that newer languages have more robust libraries than just the original C language had. Not that the languages themselves are that much better. So where do you draw the line between comparing “languages” and “librarys”?