If false reports of Java's demise only have the effect of making some middle-managers think twice before instinctively reaching for Java, they will at least hav

If false reports of Java's demise only have the effect of making some middle-managers think twice before instinctively reaching for Java, they will at least have done some good. What I dislike is the easiness and frequency with which we label ourselves and others as X developers for any given language X. As much as I use Java and prefer to use Ruby, neither of those two language define me as a programmer. People typically separate off into their different "communities", where the boundaries are programming language boundaries, and they remain as loyal as church members. Language loyalty can help a language become successful, but does it have a net benefit in the software industry?