Standards and success in the computer industry are measured today by the size of the PC market. This is not a bad thing. My fear, though, is that the PC market is such an irresistible force that there is no restraint of common sense. Things grow all out of proportion to value. Word processors are 30 Mb.
Operating systems use every resource available and dreamed of.
Compiler packages eat almost 100 Mb and come with hernia-inducing amounts of documentation. As Java succeeds in this chaotic environment, compelling arguments will be made to enhance this feature and add that capability. The language will grow and grow and grow. Infinite CPU power and memory solve many problems but never cost. Surely, the needs of the PC world are different than those of the embedded world, which may cause Java to drift in a direction that makes no sense for our small ROMed apps.