Hi,
I believe Java dominates the server side programming market for large websites on the internet. Server side programming is the stuff that responds to your browser when it requests a web page. php is also a common server side programming language that is geared more to hobbyists, although I think for medium to small sized websites it is extremely fast. php has an easy syntax that can be learned quickly, while Java is a completely object orientated language--just like C++.
C# was invented by MS to diplace Java. I looked through a beginning C# book one time, and the basics look very similar to Java, e.g. there are no pointers, and all objects are created dynamically like this:
MyClass obj = new MyClass(p1, p2);
And, automatic garbage collection takes care of destroying all the objects for you.
I don't think Java succeeded as the language of choice for desktop applications. It's criticized for being too slow. I think it does provide for more rapid development than a C++ application, so it may be an option. FillYourBrain can most likely provide more insights in that regard.
