Last time there are many implementations of languages in pure Java. I wrote last time here about JRuby which is on other hand very powerful solution. All these JSomething implementations are not without sense because Java has still enormous capabilities and thousands, milions libraries in any context of use. So imagine what brings you Ruby flexibility with Java enterprise. There are of course other implementations like Jython, now in 2.2.1 version. But thing that determined me to write this post is what I found last time - JSqueak, and now here is my question: it is necessary to implement everything in Java ? To understand general problem of Java and Dynamic Languages you should read this great article: Dynamic Languages - The FUD Continues…. Here is short a short excerpt from this article:

“The simple truth is that for web applications dynamic approaches are massively more productive. Take a look at Seaside (Smalltalk), Grails (groovy) or Rails (Ruby) and its clear that Java has nothing to compare. The DSLs provided by these languages make web development a cinch. Productivity improvements of 2-3 times is not uncommon. This translates to a reduced time to market, and better responsiveness to business needs.”

“The domains where Java makes sense are shrinking. Given the performance of dynamic languages nowadays and the ability to inter-operate with high performance system languages like C++, I see Java and C# being squeezed.”

I agree with author completly ! So nevertheless if JRuby or Jython are great, projects like JSqueak are for me interesting only from academic or educational point of view. It is so because Squeak are desperately pretty, I mean it’s so simple and powerfull, small and considered. So why takes it from brilliant Smalltalk to big, heavy Java ? Of course all these projects are very important because we need to still trying new concepts to find appropriate solutions. But question is - is Java keyword still necessary to talk about enterprise, good solutions ? Probably not.