Should I keep Java, or not?

Java seems to be very obsolete these days and, I don't know if I should ditch it or not especially when for a good while, I'm not on any sites at all where its required yet I'm promoted once in a while to update it anyway. Plus, Firefox now has limited support for it for a good while so, maybe it's time to bid farewell to it, or just keep it regardless?

Comments

  • If you don't use it, then by all means uninstall it. But some programs, like the Kryoflux software still use it.

  • I believe the Java plugin has been discontinued, or it's on its way out. Like SomeGuy said, if you don't use it, then there's no reason to keep it. You can always reinstall it later. Some programs do use it, though (OpenOffice comes to mind).

  • I don't use any of these two programs so, I guess I'm safe to scrap it? Besides, I didn't know some programs needed it as I always thought it was just some things on the web that would need it, like a mod player that was used on a site I was a frequenter of until they switched to Javascript which was better. Besides, encountering a site needing a Java plugin is very rare these days.

  • You'd be surprised at how much Java is used. It's on computers, smartphones, tablets, Blu-ray players and more. It's actually pretty popular, although less noticeable now with the web plugin going away. I actually considered taking a Java course in college but never got around to it. Java is very much alive and well.

  • edited January 2018

    You don't need Java unless you actively use programs that need it. Besides, most polished programs have the Java JRE built in (Minecraft, Android Studio, etc.) so having a separate install isn't a requirement.

    One thing that I do know needs a separate JRE is Angry IP Scanner. But not much else.

    If only they had a portable JRE that didn't place crud all over the registry...

    *JRE = the Java Runtime Environment. That's what most people refer to as "Java" or the "Java plugin."
    *JDK = the Java Development Kit (SDK) for making apps with Java.
    *I know this because I dabbled in Java for a while.

  • Well now, it may seem that I won't need it anymore soon because, it turns out that it will be phasing out soon. About time though because, it's ancient and very insecure, and web developers don't give a toss about it now. Makes me wonder why had that not happened any sooner...

  • @Erito17 said:
    You don't need Java unless you actively use programs that need it. Besides, most polished programs have the Java JRE built in (Minecraft, Android Studio, etc.) so having a separate install isn't a requirement.

    One thing that I do know needs a separate JRE is Angry IP Scanner. But not much else.

    If only they had a portable JRE that didn't place crud all over the registry...

    *JRE = the Java Runtime Environment. That's what most people refer to as "Java" or the "Java plugin."
    *JDK = the Java Development Kit (SDK) for making apps with Java.
    *I know this because I dabbled in Java for a while.

    Minecraft no longer needs java in the latest versions. Sources here:

    https://www.howtogeek.com/210907/minecraft-doesnt-need-java-installed-anymore-its-time-to-remove-it/

  • edited April 2018

    I've been trying to slowly reduce the Java install base in my corporate environment, but there are still a couple of legacy software that require it. :(

  • edited April 2018

    @Totengeist said:
    I've been trying to slowly reduce the Java install base in my corporate environment, but there are still a couple of legacy software that require it. :(

    Only the Java browsers plug-in is sometimes dangerous to use. The runtime you have nothing to worry about. :)

    @Bry89

    You can still keep Java Runtime, just incase you to run legacy software. Try to avoid the Browers plugin.

    Source: https://lifehacker.com/5988800/what-is-java-is-it-insecure-and-should-i-use-it

  • edited April 2018

    @droem said:
    Only the Java browsers plug-in is sometimes dangerous to use. The runtime you have nothing to worry about. :)

    Most of the legacy software I was referring to uses the Java browser plug-in. They use several web services that require it. Thankfully, the biggest one has started providing a non-Java version.

  • edited April 2018

    It is only the Java browser plugin that's being discontinued, as part of Java SE 8. Java itself is up to version 10 now and it's still going strong.

  • If you read my post, you should know that I know this already. I said that Minecraft had it built in -- java's still required, but you don't have to install it. Minecraft does it automagically.

  • The end of Java draws ever closer and I couldn't be more happy about it. The problem is, there are still so many management interfaces that require it... iDRAC, IMM, etc. and each new version seems to introduce more hoops to jump through to run the console applet. But if you never need to connect to such things, you can pretty much uninstall it and never look back.

  • yup dump java whenever possible

  • Well, this was a surprise... days ago I was prompted to install a new version of Java but when the installer detected that the current version hadn't been used in six months, it gave me the suggestion to uninstall it instead. And I did so.

    I wonder if that happened to everybody else but let's face it... it's 2019, so why should Java still go on? That also applies to Flash too, set to snuff it next year.

  • Yes, I've seen that same prompt on a few machines.

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