You weren't kidding. The page has barely been tweaked since 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080701171554/http://java.com/e...

To be fair, lots of websites were far better in 2010 than today’s white space filled, massive typography, bright colored potpourri of rounded corners, scroll jacked bullshit. Full screen, infinite scroll, hamburger menus. So many awful contemporary design choices.

Don’t pool it all together with this Java website - which sucks but not because it was from 2010.

I abhor and loathe modern web design.

The website is a leftover from when you had to download Java to run programs. Microsoft Silverlight homepage have a similar simplistic feel[1]. I expect it to be updated at some point once there is no need for people to download a JRE.

[1] https://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/

> I actually laughed out loud at the Java.com homepage. I was so surprised, I expected a sleek, modern homepage but instead I got a portal to 2010.

The Java download button looks clickable without me having to hover over it. The Kotlin "get-started" link doesn't look clickable, because it's next to a different link that has a different style (both actually are clickable). The Scala one has a download link that also doesn't look clickable.

Rubbing salt into the wound, if you click on the second link for Kotlin ("learn more"), the back button doesn't work.

Summary

Java website: made as obvious as possible, prominent download and search interface on main page; type in your search and press enter.

Kotlin: Links differ in appearance from each other, back button broken for some links, which don't even look like links. Cannot type in a search term until after visually finding and clicking a search icon. Then you type in your search term (two-step process).

Scala: download link looks like neither a link nor a button. Never found a search button. At least "Back" works.

I have to say, the Java landing page works best. That your personal preference is for less obvious and less simple user interfaces doesn't make the simple and easy to use interface a bad choice.

That's more like 2000-2005. By 2010 we had GMail and clumsy 3d gradients were on their way out.