Having developed in Java for years, I agree with some of the points which PG has predicted 11yrs ago!

That said, using Java is sort of a insurance policy.

1. It's easy to find developers. _Sometimes_ easier to outsource modules. 2. It's usually hard to make mistakes in Java (you can screw up, if you want to) - mainly due to great tooling and excellent time-tested frameworks which help a tonne. 3. Has good complementary languages (Scala, Groovy, JRuby..), which interop well with other frameworks at large. 3. JVM does black-magic for you.

I guess committee did make a decent pick then.