Windows 10 Java Critical Update

[hlewton]

Every day I get a notice from Windows Defender, I believe, that says a Java update is ready and to click here to update. I click and the only thing that happens is the notification goes away. So I ran Belarc Advisor as seen in the attachment. I clicked the link for the Java Critical update and it just takes me around in circles never giving me a link or any opportunity to actually update Java. I searched for CpuOct2018-4428296, which is the Java Hotfix id, according to Belarc Advisor, and it to only takes me around in circles never offering anything I recognize as an opportunity to update Java. How and where do I get this critical update? Below are the links that run me around in circles. Is there some link in them I am missing?

Thanks


https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/secu ... 28296.html

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topi ... 86861.html

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topi ... tchUpdates

and back to the first link.

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/secu ... 28296.html

Java.jpg

[HansV]

Do you really need Java? Java Runtime has become notorious for its never-ending security problems. I removed it from my computer years ago and never missed it. So I would recommend that you uninstall it if possible.

[JoeP]

Try going to Java update

[HansV]

Direct download links can be found at Java Downloads for All Operating Systems. Choose the Windows Offline or Windows Offline (64-bit) version.

[hlewton]

Do you really need Java? Java Runtime has become notorious for its never-ending security problems. I removed it from my computer years ago and never missed it. So I would recommend that you uninstall it if possible.

I honestly have no idea if I need it or even what it is for. I suppose if I remove it and if it is ever needed I'd get a message saying it needed to be installed.

Thanks

[hlewton]

Thank you both for the links. I think I will first try removing it to see if I even need it installed at all. That should get rid of my daily message saying to slick here to update.

[HansV]

I suppose if I remove it and if it is ever needed I'd get a message saying it needed to be installed.

That is correct.

[aekyall]

LibreOffice (32 bit) requires Java to be installed, I think? (Currently Java 8 update 181) - I've always assumed that if I remove it then LO will not function correctly? Had mega-problems a while ago when I inadvertently updated latest version of LO to the 64 bit version instead of the 32 bit that runs on my computer - chaos ensured! Even when I got back to the 32 bit version (with a reinstall of LO), I still seemed to need to have Java installed, and made accessible under 'options' - 'advanced', in order for LO to function correctly.

I was getting the same repeated prompts as hlewton - I just right clicked on it and told it to 'ignore'

[HansV]

Ah - I was thinking of the Java browser plugin...

[hlewton]

I was getting the same repeated prompts as hlewton - I just right clicked on it and told it to 'ignore'

To be perfectly honest with you I am not at all sure that would have worked for me. If I recall correctly, and I may be mistaken, I tried Right Clicking when the normal Left Click did nothing but close the message until the next day when I turned the computer on again.

[hlewton]

Ah - I was thinking of the Java browser plugin...

This may be asking too much but do you know from my posts what I was asking about? I did uninstall the only instance of Java I found in the Control Panel so I hope it was what you originally thought it to be, a Java browser plugin.

[HansV]

I don't really know. But if one of your applications needs Java, you'll find out when you try to run that application.

[hlewton]

I don't really know. But if one of your applications needs Java, you'll find out when you try to run that application.

Yep that is what I was thinking too. Although I have no idea which one it could be. I guess time will tell.

[jonwallace]

https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question ... -use-java/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
For LibreOffice, see this Cut and paste here from above link from May 2018:

Current version does not require Java to use most of functions. Only some masters, non-linear solvers, and embedded database in Base requires Java (so, Base is actually usable without Java, too; just not its masters and embedded mode).

Currently, a tender by TDF is ~finished to create a conversion module from HSQLDB to Firebird (which is the new, Java-free, component used to embed DB in Base) - currently conversion is being polished, to allow removal of HSQL completely.

In other news, Business Objects (we're using the ancient 12.1.0) needs Java to run it's query builder. (Or so we're told by technical support.)

[HansV]

Thanks for the info!

[aekyall]

Interesting! I'm using LO 6.0.6.2 and, having read the LO info just posted re Java. I went in to LO Options; Advanced: and un-ticked the "Use a Java runtime environment'''. I then closed LO and re-launched it - this is the result!!!

Capture.GIF

I decided to select 'No' and found that I could use LO, seemingly normally - that is, until I closed LO down! That produced the 'Enable JRE?' prompt above to re-appear - and I couldn't get rid of it until I selected the 'Yes' option!

Guess I'm going to have to stay with JRE, at least for the time being

[HansV]

Needs more work, apparently...

[aekyall]

Open Office (4.1.5) does seem to work okay if "Use Java runtime environment" is un-ticked - at least it doesn't seem to generate the continual 'Enable JRE?" prompt. I do wonder what the benefits are of Libre Office over Open Office? - Having asked that, I've had LO on my computer with JRE enabled for a considerable time now and haven't (as far as I can tell!) encountered any security issues. Am I deluding myself

[HansV]

An article about OpenOffice vs LibreOffice: OpenOffice vs. LibreOffice: What’s the Difference and Which Should You Use?.

The security problems occurred with the browser plugin. I don't think a desktop application using Java is affected.

[jonwallace]

Open Office (4.1.5) does seem to work okay if "Use Java runtime environment" is un-ticked - at least it doesn't seem to generate the continual 'Enable JRE?" prompt. I do wonder what the benefits are of Libre Office over Open Office? - Having asked that, I've had LO on my computer with JRE enabled for a considerable time now and haven't (as far as I can tell!) encountered any security issues. Am I deluding myself

In addition to the things in the article Hans linked to, you might be interested to know that LibreOffice (I'm using 6.1.2) claims better compatibility with Microsoft Office's xml formats than OpenOffice. It also has support for Visio (but YMMV). LibreOffice also opens those pesky Word 2.0 files that MS Office 2007 won't...