As other posters hinted, there are two issues here, Parrot and Perl6. And keeping in theme I'm writing this is the style fo a trade magazine blurb
Dateline Jan 1 2008:
In a move to salvage market share Sun Microsystems has announced that it will offer a Java byte code compiler for the Parrot VM platform. Readers will recall that Parrot silenty arrived riding on the coat tails of the perl language. Readers might also be forgiven for forgetting that Parrot only came about because of the perl "6.0" language. The forgiveness comes because if you aren't a computer "geek" or don't read the Harvard Business Review you aren't aware of the dark horse history of the Parrot VM.
Parrot slipped in silenty to all manner of internet platforms on the basis of speeding up the widely installed base of perl5 (hereafter just "perl" as it is known to most users) instalations. While Parrot "just worked" and was "good enough" for a lot of things the perl "6.0" programming language languished in complexity and navel gazing. Perl itsef not only stayed but it grew. Parrot's promise of "run anywhere - no really - run anywhere" was fullfilled and that is where the story really started. Perl was still good for perl things but while they were waiting for the "next perl" - the main reason for Parrot - to arrive those same developers started to leave. Where the leavers went is history, some went to ruby, most went to python. The non-leavers stayed with perl "5." No one expected the result then, but as we look back on it we can be greatful. Without perl "6.0" there wouldn't have the Parrot we know and love.
I moved to the other "p*" language coummunity a couple years ago so ... don't hate the player, hate the game.