Java itself is NOT opensource. It is not considered *free* software. Would
be nice if it were, though.

I used to be a top Java programmer, but these days I see little need to use
Java. It's become overly complex for most things, and represents a very
steep learning curve.

PHP, Python, and Perl *are* FOSS. I actually like Python better than Java.
There are things you can do in Python that is simply not possible in Java,
like lambda functions, for instance.

The only reason to do anything in Java nowadays, as I see it, is that the
corporate whigs wish it. For server-side stuff, PHP is clearly superior.
And for client-side, Flash may be a better choice. I see less and less Java
being used in the browser these days. A pity, really. But AJAX has come
along and eaten much of what you'd want to use Java for there.

Well, let this not be the beginning of a nasty flame war. But perhaps some
of you can tell this old Java vet what *clear* advantages Java has over the
many -- and free -- alternatives.