Java Critical Patch Update Pre-Release Announcement

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It's nice of Oracle to announce that their software is still vulnerable until tomorrow when the new critical patch update goes live.

A Critical Patch Update is a collection of patches for multiple security vulnerabilities. This Critical Patch Update contains 103 new security vulnerability fixes across hundreds of Oracle products. Some of the vulnerabilities addressed in this Critical Patch Update affect multiple products. Due to the threat posed by a successful attack, Oracle strongly recommends that customers apply Critical Patch Update fixes as soon as possible.
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Their software will be vunerable past tomorrow, until the end of days. It will likely be explited by skynet to take over all the computers in the world.
 
I got some old cameras off-site that need java... ugh
 
My nurses have a VPN tunnel thing to the hospital the uses Java
My doctors use a app to view xray images that uses java
My pharmacy staff use some kind of pharmaceutical drug lookup software coded in java

I can't get away from it >.<

What is worse is that some of the software according to the companies providing them won't work past version 6 :mad:
 
koolaidkitten said:
My nurses have a VPN tunnel thing to the hospital the uses Java
My doctors use a app to view xray images that uses java
My pharmacy staff use some kind of pharmaceutical drug lookup software coded in java

I can't get away from it >.<

What is worse is that some of the software according to the companies providing them won't work past version 6 :mad:
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Wow sounds like its time for new software, and new decision makers...
 
koolaidkitten said:
My nurses have a VPN tunnel thing to the hospital the uses Java
My doctors use a app to view xray images that uses java
My pharmacy staff use some kind of pharmaceutical drug lookup software coded in java

I can't get away from it >.<

What is worse is that some of the software according to the companies providing them won't work past version 6 :mad:
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If you have a smartphone that is gsm, the sim card is basically a java computer. It's everywhere. AHHHH!!!
 
I don't know what my favorite feature of java is.


  • The ubiquitously slow performance of java apps
  • The constant flow of security flaws
  • The constant intrusive updates java requires
  • The constant crashing of anything java
 
Ultima99 said:
Wow sounds like its time for new software, and new decision makers...
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Why do you say that, Cisco uses java all over the place. I wish they would get rid of it or write their software to work with any version. Damn Fabric Manager is like version 1.5 or something stupid
 
Java is that necessary evil like Flash-- can't live with it and can't live without it.

Unfortunately, I still play Minecraft and host a Minecraft server and a Subsonic media server, both of which run off Java.

In my opinion, there currently isn't any program that I can think of that can run inside and outside of a web browser that can run on both ARM and x86 computing devices, especially as a standalone application. If you can name one that can, I'd like to hear about it and why it hasn't caught widespread attention and usage yet, especially one that'll run under Windows, Linux, OSX, Android, and iOS, plus embedded devices.

Until a more secure and cross-platform alternative arrives, we'll be stuck with Java for a long time.

The same can be said of Flash. Name one other application that can do vector animation in real time inside and outside of browsers and can be run as a standalone program, which I have yet to see HTML5 do and web browsers do without the use of WebGL or similar.
 
7 update 51 is still flagged as vulnerable and to update through FF, problem is 8 has not been released yet but apparently will be soon.
 
Too bad most people can't keep java updated.
Lazy programmers won't keep up with changes and we have to run older versions of Java so people can work.
Same with Adobe.
 
ep0x73 said:
7 update 51 is still flagged as vulnerable and to update through FF, problem is 8 has not been released yet but apparently will be soon.
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http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index-jsp-138363.html#javasejdk

They never update Java.com until weeks or sometimes months later to give developers enough time to make sure their apps are ready. It's been available here for around a month now.

With that said, I have no problem with Java as a local app. I use it for a few programs myself, but it has no business being used on the internet. The sandbox is just inadequate for the web.
 
plupien79 said:
Too bad most people can't keep java updated.
Lazy programmers won't keep up with changes and we have to run older versions of Java so people can work.
Same with Adobe.
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To bad it updates with some sort of crap-ware installer enabled bye default. For non corporate computers it should update automatically. If adobe and sun would include there updates in windows update it would make life simpler for everyone. But then they would loose revenue for installing the crap.
 
octoberasian said:
Java is that necessary evil like Flash-- can't live with it and can't live without it.
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I don't have Flash or Java installed on my home computers and it really isn't a big deal. Okay, so I can't stream whatever dumb video is the next meme, but that's the only thing I probably notice that's missing...well all those creepy Google Flash-based ads that track everything you do using the Flash cache too, I don't see any of those either.
 
k1pp3r said:
Why do you say that, Cisco uses java all over the place. I wish they would get rid of it or write their software to work with any version. Damn Fabric Manager is like version 1.5 or something stupid
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I guess you didn't read what I quoted.
 
CreepyUncleGoogle said:
I don't have Flash or Java installed on my home computers and it really isn't a big deal. Okay, so I can't stream whatever dumb video is the next meme, but that's the only thing I probably notice that's missing...well all those creepy Google Flash-based ads that track everything you do using the Flash cache too, I don't see any of those either.
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An awful lot of people do, and as several prior replies have mentioned, it is ubiquitous in the business world as well. Most companies do not want to expend the resources to compile program binaries for multiple platforms, so they tend to fall into one of two categories: those companies that use Java to make cross-platform apps or those that pick one ecosystem (i.e. Windows) and stick with it exclusively. The latter tend to work with .NET, in my experience.

While there are exceptions, they are typically outliers. How much of the problem is the absolutist bottom-line mentality prevalent in today's business culture and how much of it is an unwillingness to embrace an alternative way of thinking (i.e. not sticking to one ecosystem exclusively) is open to debate. Either way, Java continues to be used for a lot of applications, so it will represent an enticing target going forward, simply based upon market-share. When you factor in its numerous inherent flaws, that target only becomes more appealing.
 
okashira said:
Why the FK to people use Java? :mad:
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I imagine people dont install it for fun, they use it because they have to.

In the corporate world java is massive, its used by many large companies, many sites you visit eg. may be running apps based on java you just dont notice it.

Also if anyone here has used rigs with IPMI/KVM connectivity they will know java is the platform of choice for that.

Even some hobbyists use java, a app I use for final fantasy 13 is written in java.
 
I think the reason alot of people use java is because of the easy of xplatform. I mean, i personally love C# and while i have not tried it i have heard its a bear to get .net working on *nix due to some proprietary libraries.
 
CreepyUncleGoogle said:
I don't have Flash or Java installed on my home computers and it really isn't a big deal. Okay, so I can't stream whatever dumb video is the next meme, but that's the only thing I probably notice that's missing...well all those creepy Google Flash-based ads that track everything you do using the Flash cache too, I don't see any of those either.
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Unfortunately you don't represent the majority of web users and businesses that rely on Java or Flash. Like I said, it is a necessary evil. Flash is notorious with eating RAM in Chrome-- anywhere from 100 to 300MB per Youtube video open, for example, if looking at Chrome's task manager. Switching to HTML5 helps alleviate some, not all, of the RAM usage of Chrome. However, there are websites that use Flash extensively especially as fullscreen web pages. Why not switch to HTML5 and use some fancy Javascript combined with CSS3 coding? It doesn't work 100% in all browsers. From my own experience, IE11 has issues on certain websites that use CSS3 and Javascript extensively and will break most websites I visit. Firefox will crash or throw an error pop up saying some ".js" file is taking too long to respond. So, Flash is used instead for the majority of websites out there especially those that are frequently trafficked.

It's unavoidable.

There has not been a good alternative to either Java or Flash since their release in the infancy of the Internet. Microsoft threw their hat into the ring with Silverlight, but even then the version number has stopped at 5.xx and has not been updated for months. It's been rumored that Microsoft may kill it entirely given that their Expression Studio suite has been canned, but Microsoft has only given a vague hint that they may continue it. For example, my mom's scheduling website recently switched from Silverlight to Flash and Javascript to handle scheduling by their employees. Java is still used for other websites as well. One of several NASA websites use Java applets for demonstrations or real-time data. Another NASA-related website uses Flash extensively to demonstrate their communications capabilities with off-world probes and satellites.

Why do website continue to use them when alternatives such as WebGL (or even Unity) and HTML5 exist?

Web compatibility and rendering issues is one concern. If so many X amount of web users are still using browser Y at a certain version number, they wouldn't want to alienate them completely especially if they are contributing to your business in some manner. I gave an example of IE11, and I've experienced this first hand. Most CSS3-heavy and Javascript-heavy websites are rendered improperly in IE11 unless you change compatibility mode, but even then the websites still break. If IE11 is supposed to be standards compliant, why does it still break certain websites?

Another issue is a good alternative to Java and Flash. Silverlight failed in that regard and we don't see Chrome's NaCl (Native Client) getting used to replace Java or especially ActiveX. HTML5 so far hasn't been the end all, be all it can be web standard, yet. It still cannot do real time vector animation with tweening and shape morphing. It hasn't replaced many Flash-based games out there especially without breaking web browser compatibility. You make one Flash applet, it'll run across several web browsers on the desktop-- IE, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. You cannot do that with HTML5 and Javascript with 100% compatibility without something breaking or throwing up an error, or running into a .js script file not responding. Even Unity or WebGL hasn't replaced Flash entirely because you need a modern day browser of the last three or so years to use it, and a good running computer at the same time. Given that so many users are still on Windows XP and most likely stuck at IE8 or IE9, do not expect those users to have fast dedicated graphics cards as well.

In a way, you can draw a conclusion that those who are stuck on outdated hardware and outdated operating systems such as WinXP and outdated browsers are what is holding back innovation and progress, and adoption of newer standards and applications in not just web programming but general software programming.

As I said in my previous post, I cannot avoid Java. I still play Minecraft and host a Minecraft server-- both of which use Java because it is cross-platform and cross-compatible. It saves the developers man hours and money to try to port it to C/C++. The same goes with Subsonic media server. Try and do that with .NET Framework and you can't. You will be stuck with only one operating system-- Windows. Mono .NET isn't 100% compliant with .NET 4 either and not will be for the foreseeable future. Not every programmer is going to switch to a programming API and software that isn't one, compatible with a lot of users especially targeted audiences, and, two, something that won't break on different platforms and devices.

You can run Java on ARM and x86 devices and computers from iOS to Android to Windows to Linux and to OSX. You can't do that with .NET because it's locked down to Windows-based devices. You can't do that with NaCl because it's locked down to Chrome/Chromium OS.

Flash works across all browsers from IE8 or even the dreaded IE6 unless Adobe dropped support for it, and all the way up to Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Memory and CPU resource hogging aside, it won't break when it runs in either of those browsers. You can't do that with a combination of HTML5, Javascript, and CSS3 without something in the code not complying with a browser's definition of "standards compliant" like IE11. You can't do that in WebGL or Unity Web plugin without realizing that you're locking out a majority of web users still on older browsers and older computer hardware.

Innovation and progress, and adoption are stuck in a sort of purgatory because of older operating systems and older hardware. You also have stubborn people in businesses who will not switch due to costs alone. Many normal web users just know if it ain't broke, why get something new if it already does what they want?

You can't change the minds of millions of businesses and web users out there without giving them a compelling AND affordable reason to do so.

So, until there is an all-encompassing standard that can work on multiple platforms and instruction sets, and different browsers, that runs well on older and newer hardware to replace Java and Flash in its entirety and have the same capabilities (e.g.- vector animation; cross-compatibility, etc.), we will be stuck with Java and Flash for the foreseeable future.
 
Updated to 7u55 and FF and avast or no longer bitching.
Would it not be just as well to get 8u5 if it's newer, better?
 
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