[scala] Risks of using Scala in a large application?

Howdy All,

Scala seems to me, from my quick introduction, what Java may be like  
in 5+ years.

So using Scala can give one a competitive advantage.  However, there  
is often risk associated with such a decision.  As a result, I've just  
popped in to ask this question, which is mostly from a business risk  
angle, but this relates to technical issues regarding Java and Scala.

What are the risks of using Scala in a large Enterprise application?  
Mostly I mean in relationship to compatibility with Java, interaction  
with Java libraries (will Scala limit this) and tools, Java  
interaction with Scala classes etc.

The low risk situation would be that Java and Scala are completely  
interchangeable, if I write something now in Scala it won't limit me  
and I could replace it with Java in the future if need be (e.g. if/
when Java catches up and/or Scala doesn't catch on) without any trouble.

Of course there are other risk: finding developers that are competent  
enough in Scala, IDE tooling for Scala, longevity of Scala, and any  
discussion of these would also be appreciated.

I hope this sort of question is ok for this mailing list.

Cheers,
Ashley.

--
Ashley Aitken
04 1226-8159 (Mb)
08 9368-5505 (Ph)
Perth, Western Australia
Skype/iChat: MrHatken (GMT + 8hrs!)