According to TIOBE, which is hardly a reliable metric, this month Java and Python are enjoying a massive upswing in popularity. In fact, TIOBE will most likely name Java Programming Language of the Year for 2015. (Both languages have been on an upward trajectory all year.)

It's not hard to understand why Java's popularity is improving. Android programming is becoming more important, as the platform has begun to exceed iOS in terms of user experience with the advent of Lollipop and Marshmallow. Then there's the rise of the "Internet of Things," where Java seems to be well-suited.

(I'm not sure what explains Python's bump in popularity, though. Maybe there's an increasing appetite for languages that are easy to learn. A clean, simple syntax is very, very important!)

I think, more than ever, we need to have Smalltalk on the JVM. Java cannot be allowed to hog the limelight of IT. I was pinning my hopes on Redline, but I'm not sanguine about its future progress.

Rather than waste time with PharoJS, wouldn't it be more prudent to focus on putting Pharo on the JVM?