>To the person wanting to possibly learn Java, it is primarily C++ without having to clean up the pointers when you are done.

Your admirally unemotional answer does not reveal your attitute towards Java. Do you like the language in general or feel that it is not really needed?

I know essentially nothing about Java but the widespread industry interest implies to me that it is a lot closer to being a general-purpose data-oriented language than C++. Would you agree?

(You may know little about Java, yourself, but you seem to have acquired a role as language-comparison expert of the hour.) < g >

Peter