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A Java update available notification appeared in the taskbar last week and got me thinking if I really needed Java installed on the computer.
I’ve had Java for quite some time, have always updated it when notified.
I’m not even sure or aware of what program might be dependent on it.
Is there a way to find out?
I would be interested to hear the reader’s thoughts on this.
Cheers
Java will have been installed when you installed a program that relied on it.
Wander through your list of installed programs and look for a non-mainstream program. If you can’t find one, post a list of your installed apps and we might be able to suggest something.
You can get an nice list with this PowerShell command
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher, InstallDate | Format-Table –AutoSize
cheers, Paul
Keeping Java might be necessary for several reasons. One I am familiar with is when one really has to access and use some Web sites that were built in part around Java and are still that way. So, before removing Java one at least should check those older sites that one may absolutely need to access either often, or even now and then, to see if is still necessary to have Java installed and enabled to use them.
But perhaps an even better question is: does one really need to remove Java from one’s PC? Because just disabling it, so it can be activated again when doing so proves to be absolutely necessary, might be a better solution.
If one decides to keep Java, making sure that is always up to date, as with any other application, is a good idea.
Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).
MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV
A brief glance at the site shows it’s javascript based, not java.
Will have a more in depth look later.
cheers, Paul
In short, they are completely different langauges with completely different purposes. Java is a language that one writes programs with and JavaScrupt is a language that one writes websites with. Their name similarity is to do with the fact they follow similar structual conventions, but that is about all they have in common.
It’s probably a good idea to make the distinction between Java plugin for the web, and Java for applications.
The default installer used to place both of them aboard your computer.
I always disabled the web plugin because I didn’t need it for the web, and also considered it a security risk.
But I do have a local application the requires the local Java runtime interpreter to execute a local Java application. That would also be necessary of you want to develop any Java code with an IDE.
Windows 10 Pro 22H2
In short, they are completely different langauges with completely different purposes. Java is a language that one writes programs with and JavaScrupt is a language that one writes websites with.
And then there is the other part which is the Java browser plugin, which allows websites to provide interactive Java language applets to the user via the browser. Also not to be confused with Javascript. 
Windows 10 Pro 22H2
It sounds like you required java and no longer do. This is consistent with improved security of websites as java has vulnerabilities that make it a target for hackers. Similarly, Flash is no longer used on the web.
Using java locally should be less of a problem.
cheers, Paul
Could this be the thing that I was being asked to turn on, without mentioning it specifically, in a pop up with the cup of coffee and the request that I had to have Java installed and running to get things done (I had normally it disabled, so I would turn it on just for that), whenever I connected to a NOAA Website I have used now and then to get some meteorological data, as already mentioned here and now being investigated by Paul_T ( #2336868 )?
Yes, I do seem to recall some scientific and government websites using that in the past. But similar to Flash, all of those web presentation capabilities have been replaced by HTML5 and Javascript in the browser.
From a security perspective, there’s no longer a need to be running any more 3rd party code in the browser than we have to.
And yes, Javascript is a still a security issue, but that is what the interactive web is mostly built with these days. You can turn off, but if you do, it will pretty much break the web for you.
Windows 10 Pro 22H2
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IBM Notes software still requires Java — it’s written in Java. So I’m forced to update Java from the Java control panel. I manually check the Java site each month for updates. As for Javascripts, I use NoScript. The only script(s) that makes it into Firefox are the one’s I allow — and only those scripts that are needed to make the web site functional.
"War is the remedy our enemies have chosen. And I say let us give them all they want" ----- William T. Sherman
Since I have automatic updates turned off, I checked manually and found a Java update today. I used the Java control panel to update since Edge is disabled on my machine. New version is Java 8 Update 291
I also have an application that is written in Java, so it needs the Java machine to run.
But the biggest security risk to Java was the Java web plugin that could run web server based Java applets in your browser. I removed that plugin years ago, without affecting any local Java based applications. At least make sure that plugin is gone, or at least disabled. I think Oracle was even thinking about discontinuing it, but I’m behind on that news.
And as it’s probably been mentioned a few times, Java and Javascript have no relationship (noticed your earlier comment about NoScript).
Windows 10 Pro 22H2
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