The Java world is "standardized" (de facto, since it's not a "real" standards board, but still) by the Java Community Process. For .NET, you have ECMA-335 specifying the CLR and ECMA-334 specifying the C# language itself; standards by an internationally recognized body.
As for too heavy, I think that's a pretty silly argument, especially considering that Java runs on everything from phones (there's J2ME and Blackberry, plus Android's Dalvik is just an alternative way to look at Java -- register-based rather than stack-based, which speeds up interpretation considerably) to big iron, and .NET runs on everything from microcontrollers (I have a Netduino board sitting next to me) to the 360 to desktops to phones to servers. Heaviness comes from use cases, not intrinsic properties.
Heaviness comes from use cases, not intrinsic
properties.
Use cases are precisely the reason Javascript is better for the web. And the current web standards broken as they are, are real standard as in nobody owns them and everybody can improve on top. That's the reason you aren't stuck with IExplorer 6.
The Java world is "standardized" (de facto, since
it's not a "real" standards board, but still)
Windows is a de facto standard too. A standard is meaningless when Oracle threatens with patents the development of alternative implementations. A supposedly standards body is meaningless when the voices and votes of members can't do shit (until Apache Harmony gets access to the TCK, the JCP is basically a lie).
.NET, you have ECMA-335 specifying the CLR and
ECMA-334 specifying the C# language itself;
It's not really .NET, but rather the CLR + C# 2.0.
Silverlight, the new stuff from C# 3.0 and onward (Linq, dynamic), haven't been added to ECMA yet and there is no deadline (C# 3.0 released in 2007, 4 years ago). Even the W3C moves faster lately and I'm not holding my breath that Microsoft will ever add anything else to those 2 standards.
Java runs on everything from phones ...
J2ME is a piece of shit. Android Dalvik is not Java - unless you can also say that .NET is Java (checkout IKVM).
Java SE is good for server-side and an all-around good VM, but getting anything usable done for desktop consumers is a frustrating experience at best.
As for too heavy, I think that's a pretty silly argument, especially considering that Java runs on everything from phones (there's J2ME and Blackberry, plus Android's Dalvik is just an alternative way to look at Java -- register-based rather than stack-based, which speeds up interpretation considerably) to big iron, and .NET runs on everything from microcontrollers (I have a Netduino board sitting next to me) to the 360 to desktops to phones to servers. Heaviness comes from use cases, not intrinsic properties.