Why is Java so popular

The introductory programming course at uni teaches Java, but you don't have to take it if you know a programming language. Should I teach myself python over the summer (I already know the basics) and avoid having to learn Java? Or are the haters just people who are scared of object orientation.

>>15
They're slow. Cf. Ruby and Python.

You can JIT them to speed them up (which is why Java is fast these days) but this benefits register machines even more than stack machines anyway.