2)Java is installed in over 1.5 BILLION devices. A kid can write a game in one night and have it running on other kid's cellphones around the world, by the next night. (This is the best reason : )

3)Java has replaced C/C++ as the primary language taught in first-year computer science courses. It's a standard, and is a nice launching point for other programming languages, especially OO ones. A couple of years ago, it became the language cited most often by companies as the one they're using for new development. Java's popularity means there are a TON of resources out there--books, articles, discussion groups, tutorials, examples (virtually *anything* you can think of has been implemented in Java, and the source code is out there somewhere...). It's easy to get quick answers to your Java struggles.

4)With Java, a kid's not limited to just Web applications, but he can still use Java to deliver apps over the Web using Web Start. And it ships with every Mac OSX machine. (OK, that's four reasons.)

cheers,
Kathy Sierra