I don't believe the parent of your post meant to say that nothing ever changes ;) Personally I think Java is a good, first language to learn. It's quite simple and easy to get started with. I'm not saying Java exclusively mind you, but that it is one decent language to start with.

As for the OP, I disagree. There are tons of good Java projects out there and there are tons of crappy Java projects out there ... just like pretty much every language ever invented.