Lead, follow or get out of the way. Stallman hasn't offered a better solution than Java. Java is a better choice than C or C++. Developers are simply more productive in Java.
Python, Ruby, etc don't currently offer nearly the level of performance. I'm still waiting for the version of Emacs that's written entirely in Scheme.
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Funny, I got voted down. Hope you guys will volunteer to rip out the Java from Open Office and rewrite it in C++.
I think you were downvoted because you miss the point. Apache's stand is against Oracle, not Java, and Stallman's issues with Java were with licensing not the language/JVM really.
Stallman is a leader not because he must create something better than Java, but instead because for any technology the "Free" vs. "Open Source" issue can be critical as to whether you depend on a piece of software.
In my experience, a combination of Python and C/C++, Lua/C++, or even just plain C++ with a good library like Qt offer better performance and productivity. And Open Office is not a good example, desktop applications are definitely not Java's strength, there are hardly any examples. Java is more dominant than in the "enterprise"/web space.
Stallman has his ideals, which is fine. However, if Java was never open sourced, he would not be in favor of it. OpenOffice was largely written in C++ because they didn't want to use Java because it wasn't open. Imagine how much more work could have been accomplished if they started with Java. Not that Java is a great, or even pretty, language. It's just a lot easier to work with than C++. Someday, we'll be able to move up another level of abstraction and writing software will again become easier.
My point about Stallman was that he would keep developers in the "stone ages" rather than be practical.
I don't recall "practical" being synonymous with "awesome" or "excellent". "Practical" is an excellent excuse for not having principle.
I have some issues with RMS' beliefs, but I applaud the fact that he acts on principle. I wish I had embraced principle over practicality and had continued working with Ruby, rather than taking a 5 year detour through PHPland.
