What does Java do for my computer?
Java was created by Sun Microsystems to run thousands of applications regardless of the
operating system.
It had to, because Sun computers were the perfect cars that got 100 miles to the gallon
while Windows PCs got 5 miles to the gallon and crashed every fifty miles.
Java is primarily used to convert code into something native to your PC.
That way, someone only has to write the application once and it works on virtually every PC.
That’s why Java is pretty much universal.
It is installed on everything from the Apple laptop to Windows to Linux.
No, not a lot of Linux systems.
Oh, because they have a freeware alternative.
No, because hackers tend not to like to introduce security holes to their systems, and Java
is one.
Java is a security hole?
Java is designed to be open to accept commands from server side applications running on your
computer, such as running games or financial calculators on your computer.
But I like not having to install those apps on my computer.
But it also interacts with the browser and other software on your PC.
Java is thus an open door to infecting your computer.
Is it that bad?
Aside from the 2012 news stories about a big exploit that it took Oracle weeks or more
to correct.
Java’s exploit in that case let someone else use the server side instructions to put
code on your PC and use it to manipulate your computer.
So Java could be used to turn my PC into a zombie computer, mindlessly sending out consumer
driven spam and spewing viruses to others on the network.
Java’s web plugin is used to create website interactivity and games, but you can do that
just as well with Javascript.
I’ve seen plenty of JavaScript errors, too.
Though I do know it is hard to see if it says Java or Java Script when a massive ten line
error message comes up in the browser.
Java browser plug-ins were responsible for half of all cyber attacks in 2012, according
to Kaspersky Lab.
That’s one of the big IT security firms.
Java is used to download videos from Youtube, but you can find other ways to do that.
Java is used to run some DSL speed tests, but there are other ways of doing that.
Like trying to load a webpage and pulling out a stop watch.
If the page takes longer than the time it takes to find a stop watch, you know the connection
is too slow.
You should disable the Java plug-in in your browser, in all the browsers on your PC.
Do I have to remove all versions of Java on my computer?
That could take a while, given how many installs and updates it does.
There are a lot of legitimate apps written in the Java programming language.
The Java Virtual Machine is so powerful that newer languages like Scala utilize it.
Then how do I run these web based apps?
You click the button to download the app and then run it.