Short story: Java hasn't (primitive) unsigned integers because Gosling thinks that too many programmers don't get what goes on with unsigned, what unsigned arithmetic is. Good solution: teach and make them aware, fix the problems of the education system which hasn't taught them, and so on. Bad solution: treat everybody as a stupid unable to learn, remove the feature and disappoint programmers who understand what goes on with unsigned, what unsigned arithmetic is, and those who think they can still learn. End of the story.
