Remember Java? 13 years ago, Java creators touted that Java was made to revolutionize the computer world (this discussion had a subthread that dealt with ultra-thin net computers, but that's a completely different story). The revolution felt through, sort of. It's way too early to pronounce the Java software market dead, there's a tremendous code-base and global players like IBM and SUN do big business with server and programming environments for the Java platform. However, a decrease in importance is noticeable due to developers who prefer systems like PHP, Ruby or the .Net Framework for rapid development. To me this reveals a growing trend towards rapid prototyping systems that promise to do all the work in less time. However, this might work out for little Web2.0 rat shops, but not for serious programming. If Ruby on Rails is the only programming environment you're used to, I'd recommend a cold shower and some lessons in C. (Source)