When I originally joined, I was steeped in Java, having just left a job where I'd done a fair bit of Java programming. I thought a Java web programming course would be popular, but, as it turned out, there was little enthusiasm for it. So far, I haven't taught Struts, Axis or any of that cool stuff. I think the main drawback for Java was the licensing: because it wasn't open source, it wasn't installed by default on Linux distributions, putting a hurdle in the way of developers who might have otherwise used it. It also has the reputation of being tricky (which I suppose it is, compared to PHP). If you're looking for a stable, feature-rich, credible development platform, there are few competitors (if you exclude the Java-alike C#); but that licence was a stumbling block.

However, with the recent announcements about Java being released under an open source licence, this might all change. It could be that open source Java will flower once it is in the hands of hardcore open source programmers and easy to install and maintain on Linux. The continuining evolution of Eclipse is helping with this, as it's a great productivity tool for Java programmers; and frameworks like Spring, Hibernate and Groovy are releasing Java from the complex and heavy-duty yoke of Java Enterprise Edition. I doubt it will reach the popularity of PHP and other "scripting" languages, but I'm hopeful we'll see more Java expertise springing up in the region.

There are local companies in the West Midlands who have been using open source Java for a long time, who are set to capitalise on their expertise as Java becomes more widespread. One company I've worked with, Interition, provides Java open source solutions and consultancy. They specialise in Java-based business software, driven by or based on open source Java applications like Alfresco (enterprise content management), Pentaho (business intelligence), Compiere (ERP suite), and Open-Xchange (Exchange replacement). Interestingly, they are also fully aware of the importance of the web in marketing the company, and have a blog/podcast (recent interviews have included one with David E. Jones, co-founder of OfBiz, and one with the developers of OpenAdaptor at Dresdner Kleinwort). Have a listen to get an idea of the kind of services provided by Interition, as well as the hot topics in open source Java at the moment.