There are a lot of things going on over in Java-land that are bringing up the question, what exactly do you mean by Java? and what does the future of Java look like?

JRuby, Jython, Groovy and Rhino, these are all projects that show that Java as a language is not the future, but Java as a platform has a long and prosperous future.

On the other hand, Android is showing that the virtual machine isn’t the essential piece—it’s the syntax, the language. Android is using “java” but targeting their own virtual machine , dalvik instead of the JVM.

Which is it? I’m not sure. Both developments are heading in opposite directions, but both directions look promising. Conclusion: Java the platform|language|OS|whatever isn’t going away any time soon and what we think of as Java is definitely going to change.