The way Java was originally presented, it appeared to be aimed at a futuristic, electronic commerce scenario. Some corporate users took one look and declared they wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.
Security is the big issue.
Java is no exception. Other enterprise computing buyers were attracted by the cross-platform capabilities of Java. But they wondered whether Java could solve more than a small part of the desktop problem. The really big problem, as Fortune 1000 MIS sees it today, is not the cross-platform desktop but the obese desktop. Administrivia is the heaviest burden, even for an organization with mostly Windows on the desktop.