micky said:
Since I've been using Noscript, several sites have said they would not
work without Java. However I have two FF profiles, I can't keep track
based only on their names which is which, and lately I've been using the
one without Noscript, so nothing notifies me if Java is used.
That's another strange thing. Before I installed Noscript, at
Mayayana's suggestion, I was getting 10 or 20 boxes a day telling me a
script woudlnt' stop running, in many different webpages. Since I'm
back in the profile without Noscript, I only get one or two boxes a day,
even though there is no Noscript.
Hmmm.
You do realize there is a difference, a big difference,
between "Java" and "JavaScript".
Java is a write-once, run anywhere computer language. Using
a huge library (like .NET), small programs have access to
a wealth of pre-compiled functions.
This allows Java games to be played in a browser window.
(So one of its jobs, is as a helper in browsers.)
But for the most part, web sites use little Java. Usually,
it's a web site specializing in 3D games, and using the
Java 3D subroutines, that seeks to leverage Java to keep
users interested. In such a case, if you didn't have
the Java package from Oracle/Sun installed, you could
not play the 3D game.
*******
JavaScript is a more pervasive language. It's on a lot of
web pages. It is part of the browser. You don't install it.
Using NoScript, allows the user some control over the
execution of JavaScript. Since JavaScript is used by advertisers
to keep track of what advertising you've seen, a large part of
Internet traffic is mediated by JavaScript routines. So if one
line of HTML code delivers "useful content" to a user, a
hundred lines of JavaScript keeps track of advertising.
When you use NoScript, you cheat the advertiser of all that
intelligence and returned IP packets. And in return, they make
the web page fail to render properly, as your "punishment" for
using NoScript.
NoScript - can prevent JavaScript from working
NoScript - has nothing to do with Java.
Java - seldom used on the web, with 3D games being the exception
And by 3D, these are games that aren't necessarily leveraging
the video card. These could be software routines that do 3D
projections.
- Java *is* used by standalone executable programs. We had some
cross-platform software products at work, written in Java, which
would run on a Unix box, a Windows PC, a MacOSX Macintosh, all using
exactly the same code. By installing the Java libraries that you
have installed, that is the "glue" that allows the Java code to
be run. We would need to install the Unix version of Java Runtime,
Windows version of Java Runtime, MacOSX version of Java Runtime,
to be able to run that Java program on the various computers.
JavaScript - nothing to install
- a *ton* of web pages use it, and it would be more
appropriate for advertiser tracking, than for anything
else. For example, look up "JQuery", to see an example
of a JavaScript package which is popular for adding
menus and such, to the middle of a web page.
- Can be stopped with NoScript
- JavaScript and HTML are a major part of Microsoft's current
Visual Studio environment, their push into Metro tiles and
the like. It's enough of a programming environment, that
Microsoft is making App Store developers use it. This is
a change from previous generations of C# or .NET programming.
When a person comes on here and discusses Java, there is a high
probability they've installed the package for no good reason.
Yes, they may play games on that Java 3D games site. They
may have purchased cross-platform software (such as my software
at work). But for the most part, a Java library from Oracle/Sun
installed today, is being installed for *nothing*. Nothing the
user is doing, depends on it. Since the Java package can
routinely "call home" to see if a new version is needed,
you will see the odd dialog box telling you a new version
is available. And then there is a danger that the new Java
package could offer Ask Toolbar or Google Chrome installation,
as Oracle/Sun has on occasion tried to pay the bills by including
adware in the download. (Tip: If you go to the website
and look for the download page with all the different
versions on it, the "full" installer on offer there, is
adware free. It's the "lazy man's installer" which has
the adware.)
Just make sure there is a damn good reason to have that
Java runtime software on your computer. At the moment,
I think it is un-installed on everything here. Since leaving
the Java package on your PC, is a slight security risk, it's not
something you should entirely ignore.
On the other hand, I haven't bothered to use NoScript to
disable the built-in JavaScript interpreter in some of
my browsers. If I were to use NoScript, I would see a lot
of blank web pages, warning dialogs, and other hoopla. It's
just not worth it, to turn that off.
Paul
