[wren6991]

Right, runtime is so broad that it's hard to say something has "no runtime". libgcc + your choice of crt0 is a C runtime, and the JVM is a Java runtime. That's a huge spectrum.

It's worth being charitable in your interpretation though and recognising "no runtime" probably refers to JVM-shaped or Node-shaped things, not libgcc+crt0-shaped things.

[Rohansi]

Alternatively, "runtime" is a derogatory term used by programmers who want to show superiority over others who use languages with more (built-in) features than theirs.

There's practically no difference for the overwhelming majority of software these days. Most people aren't working on embedded systems or operating systems.