[tedunangst]

The claim is that interfaces ripped off prototypes. I'd say that interfaces are a lot closer to C++ abstract classes than prototypes. Whatever they claim, here's my test:

Tell a C++ compiler engineer to make language "C++ minus templates and multiple inheritance plus GC" and you'll probably end up very close to Java.

What do you tell an objective-C compiler engineer to get Java? "Start with obc-c and ..."?

Maybe it's convergent independent evolution, but if obc-c is a branch to the left from C and C++ is a branch to the right, then claiming that Java comes from obj-c means Java must have pulled a very hard right early in its development.