Do I need all these Javas

On my PC (running Vista HP SP2) I have Java 7 Update 4, which I believe is the latest version.

I also have Java 6 Update 24 and Java 6 Update 26. Do I need these? Can I safely delete them?

I also have JavaFX 2.0.3. What is this?

 

The question should be "Do I need Java at all", if you do, uninstall all the old versions and install the latest version and check it for updates frequently.

Any old or insecure version of a software is a potential target for a malware/exploit attack. Java is a very common target.

 

Thanks for your speedy response.

I didn't use Java until this Forum recommended it. I'm not sure what it's used for so I can't say whether or not I need it.

I will delete the older versions. It does update regularly.

Do you know what JavaFX 2.0.3 is?

Thanks!

 

I guess you don't need that.

Were you advised on this forum to install Java? Which thread?

 

It was sometime ago and by sometime I mean years. However, as I think about your question I wonder if it was Java Runtime Environment. They are different aren't they? If they are, I now wonder for what I need Java. Would I cause great harm to my PC if I got rid of it?

 

JRE is needed for some aspects of Open Office for example, though it can work for most users without it.

There are some websites that may require it, though they are few and there are equivalents for many of them that use Flash or other means to do the same thing.

I don't have Java on any of my computers. If your main web browser is IE, I'd strongly advise against using Java.

 

I use mozilla firefox as my browser; I don't use IE. I didn't know that Java was a vulnerability. Although I cannot recall when I read about Java on Majorgeeks, I do remember that it was recommended as something safer than than a Microsoft default, which it was recommended you removed. I wish I could remember but I have the most awful memory.

 

That reads more like an Adobe Flash versus Microsoft Silverlight comment, they're both used for playing video content inside browsers.

Unless we're going way back and it's the old Windows XP Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM):
http://marksxp.mvps.org/WindowsXP/java.php
https://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/Interoperability/Java/Default.aspx

 

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is needed if you have applications like OpenOffice or LibreOffice.

The JRE plugin is required on websites like http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/ or other online scanners (driver scanners on various manufacturer websites).

You should not have multiple JRE versions at the same time; the latest version is 7 update 5.

 

P.S. if you are unsure if you need Java or not, uninstall it. Applications that require it will tell you so if they need it.

JRE is not the only runtime on computers; you also have a variety of Visual C runtime versions, .NET Framework, Adobe AIR, etc.

Especially when it comes to .NET Framework I wish there was a catalog listing what apps require what .NET Framework version.

 

I think it was Java that was recommended as having fewer security issues than Microsoft Java Virtual Machine. That's when and why I switched to it.

I will delete Java and see what happens.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

 

After reading this thread I removed Java from my machine (using Revo). Will this improve and aspects of its performance?

 

Java (JRE) is not just sitting there and waiting to be used; it is also a browser add-on, and each add-on removed from the browsers may increase the browsers' performance. It will also free up some 100MB from your C: drive.

 

I removed Java at the same time as I ran Speedy Fox for the first time ever after 8-9 months of using FF, AND running Smart Defrag for the first time ever on the same 8-9 month old machine so it's hard to tell what did what but FF is much faster now.