On: Orkut.com

[whstl]

Back then it was mostly Java, Python and C++.

They even made a Java-based framework that would generate Javascript, GWT. Orkut was rewritten to use in 2009.

[neuronexmachina → whstl]

I used to use GWT. It was such a mess to work with, but an interesting mess.

[merb → neuronexmachina]

Well it used what was available at the time. Which was not a lot, that it even worked is insane

[kamma4434 → neuronexmachina]

We still have it running somewhere. Not pretty but zero issues for a largish GUI

[lokar → whstl]

But also a highly specific Linux runtime environment, distributed storage, etc.