I started off by saying how Java handles memory management 'behind the scenes' which makes it easier to write, but sometimes more difficult to debug, and that if someone is learning programming through Java then they may not fully understand what the code is doing with memory. I then said that an advantage of Java is it's object-oriented and is a "compile once run anywhere" language, which gives it advantages in portability and use in embedded systems. I guess this answer wasn't satisfactory because the interviewer hesitated then said "Okay, but what else can you tell me? Why wouldn't we use Java in our firmware?" Well, gee, that's a tough question, considering that I don't work for you guys and I haven't reverse-engineered an HP router recently. I gave an "I don't know" and tried to ask why (I was really curious!) but the interviewer cut me off and moved on to the next question.