Java's appearance at the dawn of the Internet Age helped to propel it to near-instant prominence, and lodged cross-platform virtual machines and garbage-collection firmly into our mainstream consciousness.

In Java's wake, .NET introduced the concept of the "cross-language" virtual machine, and helped to foster a new discussion on the benefits of functional programming. Did Java and C# have an evolutionary advantage over C++, or were they simply "Cool" (the original code name for C# / .NET)? In retrospect, what were the actual efficiency advantages provided by each language? And despite the grip that these languages exerted on "enterprise" applications, how did scripting languages such as PHP, Python and Perl manage to thrive and multiply?

Looking forward, what do these lessons teach us about the applicability of technology to emerging challenges and environments such as Cloud Computing, and what languages are rising to the top as a result?