No amount of criticism is going to make Java go away so get over it and stop flaming about Java being _______________. I am going to go out on a limb here and state categorically that each and every programming language has its faults. So your choice is simple: either declare that "the glass is half-fiull" or "the glass is half-empty". IMHO Java is an incredibly fantastic language to use for accomplishing your task at hand. Yes, you need to type a little bit more in Java. Shut up and get to work is what your managers are going to say.

The entire discussion as to why we will never meet aliens is fundamentally flawed because we are are discussing it from our current (tiny) viewpoint. And the rest? Well it's pure speculation.

Clause 2. In any other case, you are liable for whatever damage your software causes when used normally.

This is too broadly stated. Define "when used normally". If the purpose is well-defined and performance is agreed to by spec via signed contract, then yes Clause 2 is fine. Now let's go into the real world shall we?

In the real world software is continually modified, changed, enhanced, etc. Thus "when used normally" is difficult to nail down.

A glaring omission of this software liability discussion is the area of software testing and, even further, software certification. The bottom line here is that such a simplistic treatment of software in terms of product liability is doomed.