Originally Posted by Bostonian
Java is one of the most used programming languages and is also used in the AP Computer Science exam and many intro college CS courses. Are you saying that JavaScript (not Java) is not a real programming language? I don't know much about it, but it is one of the ten most popular languages.

Once a kid learns to program he will decide for himself what language he likes most. Getting him or her started is more important than choosing the "best" language, IMO.

Java is a marketing tool.

Many fatal compromises were made in its design and in its various implementations. Whether it runs at all is highly dependent on the java engine (jvm) interpreting it. Many java programs will not run when jvm updates occur. I could go on and on.