I think if what you're suggesting were true, then we'd see Java being used for far more "foundation" software, as well as for higher-level software. It would be

I think if what you're suggesting were true, then we'd see Java being used for far more "foundation" software, as well as for higher-level software. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to avoid using at least some Java-based software at nearly all times. This isn't what we see, though. Java has mainly been relegated to enterprise apps and Android development. Now, that's not to say those are small markets. It isn't a "dead" language in any sense. But its scope is quite limited when compared to C and C++. We no longer hear the hype about entire operating systems written in Java, like we used to. There are no major relational database systems written in Java (Derby and H2, for example, are still quite limited). Even for web development and business app development, many people are moving away from it to alternatives. Yet we still see C and C++ being used at all levels of software development, for software that sees extremely widespread use, in many different domains. They're used for developing the most critical and widely-used device drivers, OS kernels, libraries, application software, server software, compilers, interpreters and so on. Whether you're using a server, desktop, laptop, netbook, smartphone, tablet, or even many embedded devices, you're almost constantly using a huge amount of software written in C and/or C++. Given this context, Java is a minor player, at best.