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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org#Use_of_Java

"Practical"? Is that a good thing now?

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.

OpenOffice might not be the best example since it's older than Java: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_Open_Office#History