[jcrites]

> JVM is actually a great platform to deploy code on

The JVM is a fantastic platform to build for and run on. I know of nothing else that's so powerfully general purpose for typical server-side business work, with such a compelling ecosystem. Multiplatform support can be useful, though mainly for me it's the ability to develop from any platform, rather than deploy to. It seems to be widely undervalued -- I would describe it as popularly unfashionable right now. Yet I don't know of any platforms with such deep ecosystems and comparable technical merit. .NET comes close (and is arguably better designed in some ways, and has some neat features), but is Windows-focused and seems to lack the open source communities Java has.

Talking about this almost makes me want to start a list of "awesome things about Java that are without parallel in other platforms".

I've enjoyed reading a number of the comments you've posted in recent days. Please continue and good luck with your evangelism!