Except for the part about "workshop to find ways of delivering Java-like performance for Ruby, Python, PHP, and Scala on the VM that drives Sun's platform."

Seriously, Ruby, Python, PHP et. al are faster already than Java, why would I want them to run any slower, and why would I want them to be more unstable?

He is probably thinking of JavaScript, a language so difficult to build an executable from even fast implementations are actually pretty slow.

*Yawn*

Java's slow he says...

*Yawn*

Java's unstable?

*shoots anonymous numnuts in the head*

Java is enterprise grade kit, yes it has a relatively slow start time, and you're perhaps silly to write small scripts in it, but slow it ain't. Try googling for "Java speed myth" or anything like that. Learn about hotspot compiling, learn to use the correct data structures instead of those from a decade ago and perhaps learn to talk out of your mouth instead of your arse - your brain has a shit filter, your arse tends to just let fly...

There is no reason for Paris, but then there has been little of it so far in these comment threads anyway...

Ahem... I'd rather have PHP-like performance for Java than Java-like performance for PHP. Besides why should the world's biggest (and hence most f-ed up) software companies be allowed to screw around with a brilliant lanuage like PHP?

Paris, because she know what it takes to screw around

"I'd rather have PHP-like performance for Java than Java-like performance for PHP."

Have you ever used PHP and Java? PHP's dog slow and needs optimizations at every level if you want half decent performance.