The Java Virtual Machine: a passing fad?

Java's portability and platform independence have made it the language of choice for developing Web-based applications. Yet Java actually consists of three parts: a language, a rich class library, and a distribution standard based on a virtual machine. It is this third link that the author considers most vulnerable to replacement. He explains why this is likely, drawing on his experience developing an alternative scheme to support software transportability, and given the eventual deployment of dynamic code generators.