


Many experts say Oracle is losing this game, or isn't trying very hard to win. And computer users are paying the price.



PEGORARO: Is Java safe to use?

STORY: Apple blocks Java on Macs

I'm going to help you do just that.



Today, Internet browsers use Java for interactive Web content, such as popular online games. Computers use it to run useful programs such as the free Office alternative LibreOffice, and Adobe Creative Suite. And Java is pre-installed on most new systems. It's estimated that Java is running on 850 million computers around the world.

It's no wonder Java is a major target for hackers. It doesn't help that users frequently don't know it's installed and run outdated versions.



Apple and Mozilla have turned off Java plug-ins automatically in the latest editions of the browsers Safari and Firefox, respectively. In Safari's case, as of January 31 the plug-in is blocked by OS X security and can't be turned back on until the next version of Java is released. But it doesn't hurt to double-check that Java is turned off.

Fortunately, the latest version of Java has a one-click button just for that purpose. That's handy because disabling it manually was a hassle, especially in Internet Explorer.

First, make sure you have the most recent version of Java from Oracle's site. The latest release as of this writing is Version 7 Update 11.

To bring up Java's new security settings, go to Start>>Computer and type "Javacpl.exe" in the search bar.

If it doesn't appear, you may have to find it manually. Go to Start>>Computer and open your Local Disk (C:). Go to Program Files (x86)>>Java>>jre7>>bin and scroll down until you see "javacpl.exe". On 32-bit computers, the file is in Program Files>>Java>jre7>>bin.

Run javacpl.exe to load Java's control panel and select the Security tab. Uncheck the box that says "Enable Java content in the browser." Then restart any browsers you have running.



Warning: If you do head into your browser settings to check that Java is disabled, you might see something called JavaScript. Don't disable JavaScript! It's a different animal and has no security issues.

Although it's safer to run Java for a desktop program, it's best to get it off your machine if you don't need it.






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