[lgessler]

> What's wrong with relying on the JVM?

It's that the user needs to learn not just Scala but also Java whenever they want to do anything "real". You might say this is a minor hangup, but for learners having to context switch back and forth between Java and Scala and dealing with interop issues can make for much more cognitive load than using a non-hosted language like Python or Go.

[the_af]

That Scala has a vast array of Java libraries is a strength, not a weakness. Interop issues between Java and Scala are not a big deal, anyway. It's mostly seamless.