Your student should have used a real database with Gnuplot to plot the data. Calc/Excel is only good if people enter the data and if you have a million data rows than the data is coming from some database or automatic data source anyway. What is the point in using Calc/Excel for a million data rows?

My ass don't run.

I use Java apps all the time and there is no different between native apps and Java apps. Incomplete list of Java apps that I use: VisualParadigm, Eclipse, FreeMind, ArgoUML. JEdit is quite popular, just like Netbeans.

"Java is just a pig, with its jitting, memory hogging, heavyweight thread locks, etc, etc."

Sure, whatever.

Java is one of the most popular languages, topped only by C, and sometimes ASP.NET and PHP.
http://langpop.com/
http://w3techs.com/technologie...

It depends on the kind of app. For GUI and web, it just fine. For high end computation of course native code will outperform. See http://beautynbits.blogspot.co...

The size is a good point. 130 MB for the JRE in VisualParadigm. VisualParadigm itself is 285 MB. But I don't think that so many clients care about the size, depending which clients you have. Maybe Java 9 can be more modular.

I never understood the distinction between "release" and "debug" code. It's sure wonderful if on your own development machine with the few test cases you get meaningful error codes, but on the client's computer your program just crash. I'm sure the client will appreciate how fast your program crash with "release" code, only to not have the possibility to give you a meaningful error code to fix it.

No. 4 is rubbish. There is no reason why declaring a linkage interface with external code couldn't be done without code duplication. In C there is a reason to have forward declarations, to have a method to hide the interface, and hide the private code. See for example FILE. But in C++ you must declare your private methods of a class, which is total rubbish.

Why do you need native binaries? You can package the Java JRE with your app so it can be run if no Java is installed.

Why do you need native compilation? Java's runtime optimization and hot spot compiler are just as good. If your argument is that you don't need the Java Runtime, any application needs libraries anyway, and who cares if it's a JRE or the Boost+STL+Network+GUI+... libraries.

The biggest advantage of lack of native compilation is that I can use any Jar library and it will work. Not like in C/C++ where you need the same compiler, the same system and the same architecture of a library as your program. Furthermore, I can run the Jar app on Windows/Linux/MacOS.

First of all, devices in the private house don't suppose to be turned off and on at random. My refrigerator needs to be run 24/7, my heater needs to be run at day, my lamps need to be on by night, my computer, TV, radio, etc. needs to be on when I need it. There is no point in turning them on and off base on the price of the power. It would make sense if I could store the energy at a cheaper point in time and use it later.

Second, if everybody have that then the price will just average out and nobody will get to save any money. Or, worse, it will lead to price spikes because millions of people will turn on their electrical devices at the same time to catch the lowest power price.

The idea that a smart grid leads to lower prices is just phantasy. If you want lower prices then build nuclear power plants, invenst in new technologies, invenst in building new power plants.

The source is about 10 GB and you need a tiny super computer to compile.
Anyone who complains about monolitic monsters should take a look at so called "modern" browsers.

Maybe in 1000 years that will be the only which remains as a sign of human civilization. That, and the pyramids.

Really? Maybe I give you my 10 years old hard disk with my old pictures. Maybe you can restore them with your super brain.
Joking besides, a binary format is more terse then a text format, meaning on a corruption less data is corrupted.

And what is your point? Any file that is not written to the hard disk will be currupted on power loss. And, in case you didn't noticed, all files on a computer are binary.

This whole ads business needs to go away. Seriosly, stop trying to convince people to buy your garbage.
Create a nice web site for all your site so that people can search and compare. And for all independent publishers there are other means to get a buck.

https://www.kickstarter.com/
http://www.patriondigital.com/
https://www.indiegogo.com/
http://www.patreon.com/
etc.