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Posted By: Pendragon Java in Mavericks - 01/16/14 02:54 PM
I no longer have Java in Preferences (or in Applications), though I do have 231 small files (including invisibles) when doing a search.

AFAIK, I don't need it or ever use Java. But I don't know if I should delete the old Java files.

Note: I do have JavaScript enabled in Safari/Prefs/Security, so I worry what consequences may arise if I do delete the Java files.

What say you, oh wizards of such things?
Posted By: jchuzi Re: Java in Mavericks - 01/16/14 04:30 PM
I can't answer about the old Java files but I can tell you that JavaScript has nothing to do with Java, despite the similarity of the names.
Posted By: Pendragon Re: Java in Mavericks - 01/16/14 07:23 PM
Amongst my problems, Jon, is that I fear that I may well delete a JavaScript file that should remain--even if Java is purged.
Posted By: alternaut Re: Java in Mavericks - 01/16/14 11:00 PM
If you fear that you might throw out the (JavaScript) baby with the (Java) bath water, what was the exact search term you used to find your Java? Searching for .jar instead might yield familiar app names that can clue you in about your need for Java. And if you never installed Java under Mavericks (which doesn't come with it by default), or disabled or removed any JREs you did install, you've pretty much done all that's necessary.

If there is anything other than .jar files that might be safely deleted among those files your original search returned, it won't likely amount to much space anyway, so best leave that alone.
Posted By: Pendragon Re: Java in Mavericks - 01/17/14 11:28 AM
Progress is being made. Well, some…

I had only installed Java yesterday, so it was easy to revert to a previous version.

Now, based on a search of “Java”, only 63 files (including invisibles) are found.

A search of .JRE yields 2 files: com.oracle.jre.bom and com.oracle.jre.plist. Should these be deleted?

And, can/should my 8 JAR files also be deleted?
Posted By: joemikeb Re: Java in Mavericks - 01/17/14 03:40 PM
Some things for you to consider when deciding what to do about Java. There are several different types of Java programs that are used on computers and on servers but the two types the individual user is concerned with are Java Applications and Java Applets. While the grammar and syntax of applications and applets is the same, the rules for what can and cannot be done and the constraints imposed by the Java Virtual Machine on each type is quite different. Both Applets and Applications are theoretically cross platform and can run unchanged on almost any platform including Windows, Unix, and OS X.

Java Applications are exactly that, applications that run in a Java Virtual Machine. For example NeoOffice, Moneydance, etc. are Java Applications. Java Applications have not been implicated in the recent spate of security vulnerabilities that have been so widely reported.

Java Applets on the other hand run within the confines of a browser and theoretically they are limited to the browser environment. Java Applets are most often used in online gaming because of their cross platform capability. The security vulnerabilities that have been discovered are in the applets not the applications.

For several years Apple maintained its own Java Virtual Machine, but because it was based on what was then Sun Microsystems' JVM it always ran a version or so behind Java on other platforms. Apple's decision to drop development of the JVM in favor of Oracle's (who bought out Sun and Java) was definitely a step in the right direction. Oracle has taken an Apple like approach to their security issues and like OS X, if you keep your version of Java up to date they appear to have the vulnerabilities well in hand.

I rely on several Java applications for "mission critical" work and therefore I have to keep Java up to date on my Macs. On the other hand, I am not an online gamer and I have the Java internet plug-in disabled. Personally I think Flash is probably at least as big a risk as Java Applets. There is only one way to be completely secure on the internet and that is to disconnect from it entirely, but that is throwing out the baby with the bath water.
Posted By: Ira L Re: Java in Mavericks - 01/17/14 05:30 PM
Originally Posted By: joemikeb
There is only one way to be completely secure on the internet and that is to disconnect from it entirely, but that is throwing out the baby with the bath water.


Hmm, I would say that is throwing out the bathtub. smirk
Posted By: Pendragon Re: Java in Mavericks - 01/17/14 05:42 PM
Many thanks, all. A bit of learning has happened, though a much larger bit, I fear, remains...

Me thinks I should have noted that my Java interest is primarily related to housekeeping and purging old & unnecessary files. Security is but a secondary issue.
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