Well, we can disagree about when AOT and value types became critical for Java (and I would argue that they clearly weren't back then because Java has done spectacularly without them), but Java is getting both soon.

I would say that it had other factors that contributed to its sucess, so it succeeded in spite of lacking those features.

However due to the hardware architecture changes and new kids on the block, it is starting to be an issue.

I keep wishing to see them arrive, have watched all the JVM Language Summit, Devoxx and JavaONE talks about them.

Meanwhile I can already enjoy them elsewhere. :(

> Meanwhile I can already enjoy them elsewhere. :(

That's perfectly fine. We think that our priorities are right for the workloads Java is used for (e.g. people care more about a low-latency GC like ZGC, and deep low-overhead in-production profiling, like JFR, than about AOT).