This is definitely not representative of all Java shops, but I'd agree that some (many) are as you describe. I think the perspective that I get from JUG, where

This is definitely not representative of all Java shops, but I'd agree that some (many) are as you describe. I think the perspective that I get from JUG, where I have interacted regularly with hundreds of Java pros over a 10+ year period, gives me a sense of the morale of the Java community and their feelings about Java. I wrote an article about this last year (http://jobtipsforgeeks.com/2012/07/11/advice-from-a-jug-leader-learn-a-different-language/ http://jobtipsforgeeks.com/2012/07/11/advice-from-a-jug-lead...) that goes into the sudden spike in interest for topics that were not Java language specific, and our transition into a group focused more around the JVM than just the language. This transition was driven by what I generally considered the unofficial though leadership of the group, who were gravitating away from the language. This is just around the time of the Sun acquisition when this became most obvious, which may have precipitated some of the changes.