Summary: Java might appear on your computer, but it's nothing to worry about. Java is a programming language that likely was used by a web page you visited.
Upon looking around on my PC at documents and programs that I apparently downloaded, one of the ways that popped up to surf the net is "Java Sun". I have no idea where that came from. I use explorer and Firefox. Is this "Java Sun" dangerous? Any idea how I got it on my PC?
•
One clarification, it's "Java", produced by a company by the name of "Sun" Microsystems.
It's not dangerous, in and of itself, but like any programming language or internet tool it can of course be used for good or evil.
•
Second clarification: "Java" and "Javascript" are unrelated.
I'd call it a poor naming choice of "Microsoft-ean" proportions. Microsoft is known for it's confusing names such as "Outlook" and "Outlook Express" (which have no relationship to each other), or the current mess that is "Hotmail", "Windows Live Mail", "Windows Live Hotmail" and "Windows Mail" (three different things with four different names).
The fact that Java and Javascript are unrelated and yet have similar names is unfortunate.
Java is a programming language. All that really means to most folks is simply that when you run an application, the developer who wrote it might have been using Java to create the program.
Programs written in Java are transformed or "compiled" into an intermediate form that when run is interpreted by what's called a "virtual machine" or VM. That intermediate form is not machine or platform specific - meaning that as long as there's a Java virtual machine available for the platform you're running on, a program written in Java may be able to run on it. In fact, one of Java's mottos is "Write Once, Run Anywhere". (Of course programmers certainly can still write Java programs that work on only specific platforms.) Java Virtual Machines are available for most popular platforms including Windows, Mac and Linux.
Because of its ability to be platform in ependent, Java is an occasionally popular language for web-based applications or "applets". When you visit a web site that uses a Java applet, you may be prompted to download and install the Java VM, if you don't already have it, and then the web application can run.
Visiting a web site that uses a Java applet is probably how you ended up with Java on your machine.
One of the items that occasionally surprises people is that Sun's implementation of the Java VM will automatically update it self, much like Windows itself. Suddenly a Sun Java icon might appear in your taskbar's notification area telling you that a new version is available, or that a new version has been downloaded and installed.
The bottom line is simply that by virtue of having done some surfing on the web you may have downloaded and installed Java. That's typical, and nothing to be worried about. Similarly, if you periodically see update notifications for the Java VM, that too is to be expected.
Related:
-
Ask Leo! - How do I Java-enable my browser?
-
Ask Leo! - Is Javascript dangerous?
-
Wikipedia - Java (programming language)
Article C3360 - April 24, 2008
It's amazing how many sites depend on Java to run. You can disable those updates if you like though. :)
Posted by: Carl R. Goodwin at April 25, 2008 6:18 PMJava usually puts an icon in your 'control panel', mine looks like a coffee cup, this is where you can change the settings including disabling automatice updates.
http://www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/
Posted by: Terry Hollett at April 26, 2008 3:13 AMDo I need Java, I have about 6 application of It, can I delete some of them after it download the new version
Posted by: Anita at September 16, 2008 9:07 PMI need to know, as Anita did if I can delete the earlier versions of Java off my system, and just keep the most recent update. Thank you.
Posted by: Robert at March 18, 2009 4:06 PM