I can name at least dozen "scripting" languages that run atop the Java Runtime Environment. About half of them have been around for nearly a decade. The most popular non-Java scripting languages (e.g. Ruby, Python) started creeping into the enterprise by way of their JRE implementations (e.g. JRuby, Jython). Nevertheless, apparently the ultimate "Java Killer" is going to be... yet ANOTHER language running atop the Java Runtime Environment! Developed by the company behind the JBoss, one of the top-5 Java application servers. And Seam, one of the top-5 Java application frameworks. Apparently, Java "dies" in the same manner as Dr. Who...
I get it. I understand why these posts are so popular, and why Slashdot runs at least one per week. Compared to Ruby on Rails or whatever... Java is relatively verbose, and it's more cumbersome for newbies to write their first Hello World app. Of course when you're working on real-world enterprise projects, with large developer teams and significant codebases, then much of that cumbersome stuff makes life a lot easier. But many people online are closer to that Hello World end of the spectrum, so a language's "Hello World experience" drives message board mindshare. Plus, there is the evil-Oracle thing on top of that. So Java sucks. Java's dying. I get it.
Except that it's not. At least not anytime soon, and not until you can show me a credible replacement that doesn't have "Runs On The JRE!" as its main selling point. I'm sure that something will come along eventually, but hell... in the realm of core business logic, Java only just surpassed "legacy" languages such as COBOL and C++ within the past few years! Moreover, the best contenders for "Next Big Thing" are JRE-based languages such as Scala, for which fundamental Java knowledge makes you more productive. Hell, even *off* the JRE, I would argue that being a top-class Ruby or Python developer requires as much computer science knowledge as with Java. Once you get beyond the Hello World stage, the idea that "scripting" languages are easier to learn is a fairy tale.
All that being said... I'm poo-poo'ing the hyperbole in the title, and not the content itself. It's nice to see another strongly-typed language on the JRE besides Scala. From what I see in the slideshow, this Ceylon thing looks like a "me too!" version of Scala, which has an 8-year head start. However, the Seam framework from RedHat has always been a rather "me too!" competitor to Spring also. Even though I've worked more in the Spring camp, I've still benefited from Seam because it pushes Spring to stay ahead. Maybe Scala can benefit from this competition also.