[shellac]

> [...] my prediction is that in a few years it will be in the same state gcj has been quite some years now.

You make it sound like GraalVM is just for ahead-of-time compiling like gcj, but there's more to it than native image. It's possible GraalVM will be openjdk's jit compiler, for example.

[switchbak]

This is one of my challenges with the branding of the project - it's not super clear to me what folks are talking about when they mention Graal related tech.

That alone I think can muddy the waters and can even hurt adoption. I wish they had clear and meaningful names for the specific distinct pieces of tech (even if there is some shared underpinnings).

[uticus]

I agree, from an outside perspective it is bewildering. Especially when GraalVM itself becomes a platform for other languages, ie Truffle https://www.graalvm.org/latest/graalvm-as-a-platform/

[weinzierl]

Good point. It is fascinating technology, but to get development resources in the long run it needs management/sponsor attention and for that it needs a practical use case today. That, I think is AoT compilation and I believe that, unfortunately, it doesn't cut it there.