Once Python becomes fast with unladen-swallow then I don't think I would bother with Java :)

I'm starting to worry about the future of clojure, given that it's based on the JVM.

You can use the OpenJDK to host Clojure.

At least until Oracle decides they want to collect some money for all Sun patents they bought with the package.

Oh boy... This is getting really nasty real quick.

Oracle is definitely showing itself to be a bunch of scumbags, but I'm not sure they're quite that stupid. Attempting to squeeze OpenJDK would almost certainly call off the long-held truce with IBM, who has their own (admittedly unpopular, relative to Sun's) Java implementation.

Starting a patent war with IBM is like starting a land war against Russia; you might be able to hurt them, but in the end they will destroy you.

Yes, there's OpenJDK, but I'm a bit suspicious over whether enough of a community has built up around OpenJDK to continue development without Sun support.

I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, of course.

Me too. I really don't like Java the language, but the JVM is a really cool platform to host your code on.

WRT patents, let's not borrow trouble, there's no sign that Oracle will get ugly in that way and they have a lot to lose if they start a patent war with the open software world.

Agreed. They haven't mentioned that, but it appears some mid-level execs are all too eager to hit their targets, sacrificing long-term viability for their yearly bonuses.

We can make them behave by showing they have more to lose than us.

Clojure on .NET CLR is coming along nicely. and if you want bare-metal, you can always switch to Common Lisp.

I am not sure I would like to be vulnerable to the whims of Microsoft.

Clojure in Clojure is something that Rich has started thinking about. Turtle Clojure ("It's turtles all the way down") to bare-metal as it counts for this (Linux, Xen, whatever) will follow that.

CL and Clojure are very different Lisps.

In my (inexperienced, non-lisp-coding) book, Clojure looks really cool and the sort of thing I can see myself using a lot.

CL looks old and painful to deal with, although it does have all the lisp goodness in there somewhere.