What Good is 'Java'?

Java is a subsidary program that works within your web browser, and runs many of the smaller applications that various web pages use to serve your data to you.

I agree with you, that it's ******* annoying how they update it once a week and it's always bugging me about it, jeez. Roll out 4 updates a year and be done with it.

Cycloptichorn

The tech nerds will be by to explain it in more detail i'm sure, and probably to tell me i'm wrong--but my understanding is that it works as a virtual machine, and allows certain animations, and i believe that it is required to see some web pages or play some games. It was originally a programming language developed at Sun Microsystems, but it's been a long time since i hung my tech nerd spurs, and i was never that deeply into it in the first place. A lot of applets on web pages run on Java. It probably won't hurt your box, so you might as well keep it up to date.

In addition to what Cycloptichorn said, you may want to try disabling Java and see if the web sites you frequent keep working. (They very well may -- and you can always change the setting back if they don't.)

To disable Java in Internet Explorer, go to Tools-->Internet Options --> Advanced --> Java (Sun), and uncheck the box[es] in that section.

To do the same in Firefox, go to Tools --> Options --> Content, and uncheck the "enable Java" checkbox.

If you find that your favorite websites keep working even with Java disabled, you can ignore any further requests for updates.

thanks, guys... geez how do y'all know so much stuff?

Information addiction. I cannot stop sucking down data on an hourly basis. I read constantly and listen to further data when I'm not reading. My mind seems constantly stuck in analysis mode; I see things, and start thinking of the history of them, and the physics, and how they work chemically, and the political implications, and etc... and then have to remind myself to quit analyzing ****!

Now that I think about it, I mostly drink and do drugs to stop thinking about the world I live in... in it's infinite variety and splendor, everything is amazing, data-rich, constantly.

Cycloptichorn