The difference between Java and JavaScript

Greetings...

Because of the recent Java exploits so prevalent in today's news (as illustrated here and here) many of my customers have been asking about deleting or turning off "JavaScript" also. The answer is an emphatic "No!". I think the reason why is answered ironically well by the source of the concern, Java.com:

Wikipedia also explains the differences (in layman's terms) between Java and JavaScript - in fact, the very first line on the Wikipedia JavaScript page is "Not to be confused with Java (programming language)."

The page that you are viewing at this moment is using many instances of JavaScript: the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) that determine page characteristics such as font, colors, size etc. are written with JavaScript; the little Facebook and Google ad thingies at the top of the page are JavaScript; etc., etc...

Bottom line: at the present time there is apparently a security risk with Oracle (Sun) Java, so Java should be disabled and/or deleted until the issues are resolved - JavaScript, however, is as safe as it ever was and should be left alone.

 

Very useful and timely, thanks Caliban!!! :cool

 

The explantion is short and to the point and covers the main differences between Java and Javascript :cool Great find:highfive
Thanks for sharing :cool :wave

 

Soooooooo... :confused Does that mean "uninstall from Windows Add/Remove Programs", or something different? How would I disable Java w/o deleting? How would I know when to re-enable it, and how would I do that?

Does this thread already contain the answers to my questions?
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=272014
I'm in the process of reading & digesting it...

 

@ Steve83: uninstall Java if you have no real need for it (most home users don't) or update it to 7 U 11 and disable it in the browsers until it's really needed. Then disable it for the next 4 months :major <- if you decide on the disable in browsers method, check for Java updates before enabling it!

 

Thanks. I'm still in the process of reinstalling XPP, and I hadn't gotten to Java yet, so I'll probably just skip it. Does MG have a DL page for a Java substitute that isn't as vulnerable? I've read through several of the software category pages, but I wasn't looking for that then, so I don't recall whether or not it's available.


One other quickie while I have your attention: how do I make IE8 stop stopping downloads within a particular domain (like MG) so I don't have to click the info bar & wait for the page to refresh?

 

Greetings, Steve83...

I'm not aware of any Java substitutes. I think Microsoft toyed with the idea years ago with something called "J#NET" but it never reached distribution.

As the PCMag article indicates (and as iterated in several threads here at MajorGeeks) this only applies with Java 7 update 10 or above. The Control Panel applet disable function is not present in previous Java updates - you must manually disable any Java extensions or plugins per browser or delete Java altogether.

I am not aware of a method to enable IE downloads from one particular site. To turn off the Information bar you can try this:

From Microsoft:

 

And, as Major Attitude has so eloquently stated here:

 

Since the question Java vs. JavaScript will remain for many years to come, perhaps this useful post could be moved to the "sticky" section of the forum?

 

[hijack]

That sucks, but thanks for the procedure! Assuming I have followed all the steps in the "Preventing Malware" guide page (by chaslang, IIRC) including Avast & Comodo, AND assuming I don't surf pr0n sites or other malware-laden domains, would you say it's reasonably safe to allow all DLs, or better to keep the info bar active?

Or would it be safer to allow something like BitComet to manage all DLs? I think I saw domain-specific rules in it... (Gotta check that...maybe not...)
[/hijack]

 

+1

Great Idea, I somehow doubt we've seen the last problem with Java, a sticky to point people to would be nice...

 

Good morning...

That's got to be completely up to you. I don't use Internet Explorer at all, but if I did I believe that I would disable the info bar if I were performing a lot of downloads - and then turn the bar back on when finished.

Doesn't matter, though, if you've got download blockers, firewall shields and antivirus programs galore - the best internet defense is common sense.