Nicholas, we're doing the Java port to address all the concerns you brought up about PHP.
Simple practical matter:
A) Customers aren't demanding PHP. They are demanding Java.
B) It's not clear that switching scripting languages gains you much, while switching to Java might win stuff (compiling implies speed; better possibilities for integration with other apps beyond "well, that data's in Oracle"; possible wins from having class structure, etc.)
So anyway, I think the real worthwhile comparison would be PHP port vs. Java port. It looks to me like if you have a Java port, then all the arguments for PHP go away, and I'd like someone to correct me if I'm wrong there. :)
