Aftermath

I believe that Java is now the most successful programming language ever. It redefined the way we package and deliver software. It changed the way we feel about interpreted languages, and the way we build Internet applications. Java changed the very economics of application development by bringing deployment and management into the overall equation. It built a new affinity for libraries, with strong web-based support. Java ushered in a massive wave of important standards that now form the very foundation of enterprise software development. Java has changed the rules of the gameJava completely rewrote the rulebook defining what it takes to be a commercially successful programming language.

In some ways, Java's new rulebook will serve us well. To achieve similar success, a new language will need to be portable and encourage a vibrant open source community. It will need broad appeal, across low-level programmers and architects. It will need to embrace compelling standards.

But technology is only part of the problem. For a new language to succeed, you'll also need a compelling business reason to switch. In some ways, Java held us back by discouraging competition. You may be tempted to use Java, even if it's the wrong tool for the job. You may work harder than you have to, because you're not free to explore alternatives. And this situation may lure us into a false sense of security, just as so many Java developers feel so comfortable wholly inside Java's cocoon.