> Why couldn't we just create a system compatible with Java bytecode Because Java bytecode is not a good target for many languages, such as C and C++, for one.

> Why couldn't we just create a system compatible with Java bytecode Because Java bytecode is not a good target for many languages, such as C and C++, for one. It lacks unsigned and value types. > just replace the APIs over which it interacts withthe system (as Android has done)? That still leaves a whole bunch of APIs that are duplicated. > That'd make it even possible to reuse old applets with just a tiny shim around them. The number of people who want to do that is far, far less than the number of people who want to compile existing C++ codebases. > And it'd keep compatibility with a huge environment of libraries and languages. While sacrificing compatibility with the even huger existing JS environment.