> Before anybody accuses me of advocating Java, I want all of this nicely implemented.
So... I take it that in your opinion the reasons why Java (and to a lesser Flash) didn't supercede the web have to do with its implementation flaws, not its concept?
That would be my take anyway. A big issue with Java is that it required installing a huge standard library - that should just be downloaded as required. And flash was never really intended for applications; it was always about "rich content". And Air (the application framework built on flash) has the problem that it's proprietary so you have to trust Adobe.
I think that the evolution of 1998 hypertext to todays web apps makes sense, as in every step along the way was reasonable. And by the time that one could actually leverage the advantages of a VM concept, the browser was the entrenched incumbent.
So... I take it that in your opinion the reasons why Java (and to a lesser Flash) didn't supercede the web have to do with its implementation flaws, not its concept?