Should I remove Java from my IMac?

Should I remove Java from my iMac? Heard of security problem with Java and wondered if I should delete it,

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iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jan 23, 2013 10:51 AM

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12 replies

Jan 23, 2013 4:37 PM in response to baltwo

baltwo wrote:


You missed the obvious. A clean install does not remove Java from one's Mac as your response implied.

I did not miss anything and I'm sorry if I inferred otherwise to you, just that I was overly busy at the time and since I don't have access to a Lion Mac, I can't speak definitively on your statement one way or another. Not sure this is the right place for a detailed discussion on the matter, but I could use some education if you have the time.


Admittedly, I've caveated that statement in previous posts, but I've been going entirely on the almost universal statement that installing Lion does not install Java by default. I'm very aware of the fact that older versions of OS X actually rely on the use of Java for some system functions, but I've been told that is no longer the case. If that were so, then there is no need for any Java to be present, yet you say it is there and you aren't the only one who has told me that.


There has been speculation from some that perhaps it migrated from an older system or that Lion was installed on top of the older system. There's also some confusion these days about what actually constitutes a "clean install".


But exactly how much Java is installed by default? Obviously not enough to use it for browsing. In the days of the Java 6 Preferences app, it used to alert you that Java was not installed and offer to do so. What happens with standalone apps like CrashPlan in Lion that require Java, do they have enough, by default, to run?


If you could shed some light on these discrepancies, it would be much appreciated.

Jan 23, 2013 9:00 PM in response to MadMacs0

MadMacs0 wrote:

I've been going entirely on the almost universal statement that installing Lion does not install Java by default. I'm very aware of the fact that older versions of OS X actually rely on the use of Java for some system functions, but I've been told that is no longer the case. If that were so, then there is no need for any Java to be present, yet you say it is there and you aren't the only one who has told me that.


But exactly how much Java is installed by default? Obviously not enough to use it for browsing. In the days of the Java 6 Preferences app, it used to alert you that Java was not installed and offer to do so. What happens with standalone apps like CrashPlan in Lion that require Java, do they have enough, by default, to run?

The only Java component missing in these OSs is the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Peruse those installations, looking in these directories, and be enlightened:


/Applicatons/Utilities/->Java Preferences.app

/Library/Java/

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/->JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

/System/Library/CoreServices/->

Jar Launcher.app

Java Web Start.app

JavaVersion.plist

/System/Library/Frameworks->

JavaFrameEmbedding.framework

JavaScriptCore.framework

JavaVM.framework

/System/Library/LaunchAgents/->

com.apple.java.InstallOnDemand.plist

com.apple.java.updateSharing.plist

/System/Library/Java

/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/->

JavaApplicationLauncher.framework

JavaLaunching.framework


to name a few, but probably not all the Java components installed with OS Xs. Then, stop saying Java's not installed, when only the JRE component is missing.

There has been speculation from some that perhaps it migrated from an older system or that Lion was installed on top of the older system. There's also some confusion these days about what actually constitutes a "clean install".

AFAICT, it's speculated wrongly. As for the clean install, I define it to occur when the user wipes the drive, installs the OS, sets up everything, and then installs all 3rd-party software. Then, the installation is clean. If there's any migration involved, then it's not clean. i've not done one for over ten years and my OSs started with 9.2->Jaguar->to the current three.

Jan 23, 2013 9:37 PM in response to baltwo

baltwo wrote:


Peruse those installations, looking in these directories, and be enlightened:


/Applicatons/Utilities/->Java Preferences.app

Strange, I know for a fact there is a script in the latest Java update which removes that.

stop saying Java's not installed, when only the JRE component is missing.


I don't recall ever saying that Java's not installed, but I suppose I could have. I was just quoting to you what I read here on almost a daily basis.

As for the clean install, I define it to occur when the user wipes the drive, installs the OS, sets up everything, and then installs all 3rd-party software. Then, the installation is clean. If there's any migration involved, then it's not clean. i've not done one for over ten years and my OSs started with 9.2->Jaguar->to the current three.

And I have always defined it in the same way, but somebody wrote the other day that choosing that option in recent installs does not have the same results. I wish I had the time to dig that out, but I don't.


But just so I'm clear on this, are you saying you have not used migration or you have not done a clean install since 9.2?

Jan 24, 2013 2:42 AM in response to MadMacs0

MadMacs0 wrote:


baltwo wrote:


Peruse those installations, looking in these directories, and be enlightened:


/Applicatons/Utilities/->Java Preferences.app

Strange, I know for a fact there is a script in the latest Java update which removes that.

Ah, but I'll bet you were giving me what get's installed with Lion, not what's currently on your hard drive, so that makes sense.

Jan 24, 2013 11:21 AM in response to MadMacs0

/Applicatons/Utilities/->Java Preferences.app

Strange, I know for a fact there is a script in the latest Java update which removes that.

That might be, I'll have to check that further. However, AFAIK, installing ML onto a empty volume results in the the other components. I've not done that, so I might be mistaken. If I get time I'll check that out, but don't hold your breath.

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Should I remove Java from my IMac?

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