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OS 10.6.8 Can some tell me if the internet plug-ins should "allow" java. If so, what version should I have? I'm concerned regarding security.

As the cautions were for Flash Player, the same apply to Java Applet Plug-in (current version Java 8 Update 60 build 27) which you can download directly from Oracle, whose JRE page will provide all the information you need:
Java SE Runtime Environment 8 - Downloads, which states, inter alia, "If you want to run Java programs, but not develop them, download the Java Runtime Environment, or JREâ„¢."

Thanks grelber, The internet plug-in under security prefs does not allow java and I've had this imac since 2009 so do I really need java? I'll look into it anyway. jaybass

You're generally best off NOT allowing Java (The reason will have to come from somebody better versed in the subject than I am.) unless you're running an app that requires it, but under any circumstances, in OS X 10.6.8, when I navigate to /Applications/Utilities/Java Preferences.app > General I see (Edit: Java SE 6) Version 1.6.0_65-b14-462, which is the latest version available for Snowy. (I've got Java unchecked there and under Safari > Prefs > Security > Internet plug-ins.

Edit: The details in grelber's response deal with later versions of OS X than Snowy.

Thanks, artie, I didn't take into account the OS jaybass is using. Your comments are spot on.
As I (vaguely) recall, Java SE 6 became a serious security risk, with many cautionary articles written on the subject. Later versions seem to be far safer, but one is better safe than sorry by only enabling the plugin when necessary.

Do not confuse Java applications and Java Applets. Java applications do not use the Java plugin, Java applets do. So it is entirely feasible to disable or even remove the Java plugin and have no impact one way or the other on Java applications.

Both Java applets and applications use the same Java Virtual Machine to convert the Java pseudo-code to host processor specific machine language for execution and OS APIs. The Java Plugin connects the browser to the Java Virtual Machine so a Java applet can run. Java applets are relatively rare and have been for some time so disabling or removing the Java Plugin is unlikely to have any noticeable impact unless you do a lot of internet gaming.

As I was typing this at 14:00 hours Central time 10/20/15 the current version of Java from Oracle changed to version 8 update 65 build 17 (64MB). The Oracle versions offer far more protections and security options than anything previously available from Apple.

Indeed. It’s quite sufficient to disable the plugin (blocking web applets), and leave Java active if you need to run local Java based software. There’s quite a bit of the latter around, as this post indicates. Only if you don’t have or need any of those apps would it make sense to block or uninstall Java itself.

The trick is knowing whether or not a particular app uses Java. There are several apps written in Objective C and other languages that use support functions written in Java. I believe Adobe does that in some of their apps.

In addition to that, Oracle has just released Java 8 Update 66 (60 MB). Not sure what the difference might be.
Oracle updates JRE regularly and frequently, so it's wise to check at least weekly.

Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of this (after having read about it a million times)... My quote apparently applies to two different situations.

In that case, the trick becomes determining if the function has been imported / embedded into the app or if it's expecting it to be globally available on the computer.

My foggy memory recalls a command in terminal you can use to see what libraries an app calls. I don't recall the command offhand.

ahh there it is, otool:



( note that with .App packages you have to specify the binary inside Contents/MacOS/ )

otool -L /Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail | grep -i java

returns nothing, indicating Mail does not load any library with "java" in the name.

As I suggested in the link I posted above, simply searching your Mac for .jar and checking the hits for associated apps might help too.

Remember the .jar may be embedded in a .app package so a simple search may not get a hit.

so use 'find' in terminal