Java it is one of the most popular programming languages. 90% of the 500 largest companies in the world use it both internally and in the projects they carry out. The main advantage of this programming language is that the code runs inside its own virtual machine, so the same program can be run without problems on any operating system. In addition, it is the main programming language of Android, with most of the applications programmed in this language. However, despite its virtues, it also has a number of drawbacks.
Java is not only a very heavy platform which consumes a lot of resources (basically from having to load the entire virtual machine when executing programs written on it), but it has also been a very popular attack vector in the past due to a series of zero-day glitches similar to those affecting Adobe Flash. Although Oracle maintains its language well, there are times when it is better not to have it installed on the PC. Let’s see them.
Reasons to uninstall Java
The first reason we recommend uninstalling this add-on is because of the security. Hackers tend to attack this add-on a lot, and it’s not exactly that it stands out for its security. As we have explained, Oracle often updates its platform to avoid that these failures can pose a danger to users, but this is not always possible. And, in addition, it forces us to always be aware of updates, since it is not updated automatically.
As with any type of unnecessary software, Java takes up hard disk space, and also has its own processes running in the background (starting with its updater) that are consuming PC resources unnecessarily. The simpler our configuration, and we have only the basics installed, the better.
Java integrates into browsers, which not only slows them down, but can be dangerous. Being such a popular language, and relatively simple, there is a lot of malware that tries to take advantage of it to carry out its attacks.
When not to
Of course, we can’t completely forget about Java. This programming language, as we have already explained, is very popular in companies and among independent developers. And there are many programs that need to have it installed to work.
Some programs, like JDownloader or LibreOffice, have their own integrated Java virtual machine that allow the program to function without having to have the complete package installed on the PC. However, if we download a program in “jar” format, and we want to install it, we will find that either we have the entire Java package installed on the PC, or we will not be able to.
In addition, there are systems of digital signature (very common in public administration) that require this plug-in to be installed to be able to sign and send requests. Without Java we will not be able, for example, to request aid from the state, or sign Social Security procedures, among other things.
If we only need it, for example, to open JAR files, but not in the browser, we can disable this function from its configuration panel. In this way, even if we do not uninstall Java, we will be a little safer.
Java is still far from running the same fate as Flash. But, if we do not use or need it, it is best to have it uninstalled from the PC.
