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Is it finally time to abandon IE?

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app103:
Wow, couldn't have said it better. The browser has become the focal point of any computer; you can't live without one very long. If only one could go back in the time machine at that coding moment and say to Microsoft: "You may not want to grant ActiveX controls that much control over Windows. Why not stick with Java applets instead." I'm damn impressed with the speed of the patch.
-zridling (December 18, 2008, 05:34 AM)
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Java applets aren't any safer. As a matter of fact, most covert drive-by installs of malware on machines where the user is using Firefox exclusively (and keeps it up to date), has taken advantage of exploitable vulnerabilities in things like Java and Flash.

The biggest issue with Java is how it's updated.

You hear about an exploitable vulnerability in Java and when a fix is issued you upgrade right away and think "OK, now I am safe."

But you are not! Sun leaves the older version on your machine, to be exploited by anyone that wishes to do so. The end result is a backdoor for malware that is as wide open as ActiveX on IE 5.5 & older.  Most people don't know they have to go and uninstall the old version after updating.

40hz:

The biggest issue with Java is how it's updated.

You hear about an exploitable vulnerability in Java and when a fix is issued you upgrade right away and think "OK, now I am safe."

But you are not! Sun leaves the older version on your machine, to be exploited by anyone that wishes to do so. The end result is a backdoor for malware that is as wide open as ActiveX on IE 5.5 & older.  Most people don't know they have to go and uninstall the old version after updating.


-app103 (December 19, 2008, 05:17 PM)
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You might want to download a copy of JavaRa. It checks for JRE updates and removes old versions from your system.

If you need to use Java, you'll want to install JavaRa.

And it's free! :Thmbsup:


JavaRa

JavaRa is a simple tool that does a simple job: it removes old and redundant versions of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Simply select "Check for Updates" or "Remove Older Version" to begin. JavaRa is free under the GNU GPL version two.

Java software in general and the Java JRE in particular allow you to run applications called 'applets' that are written in the Java programming language. You probably have Java JRE installed on your computer because these applets allow you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, view images in 3D, as well as many others.

Java and Java Runtime Environment (JRE) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

More Information   http://raproducts.org/javara.html

Download Windows Binary (.zip file)  http://raproducts.org/click/click.php?id=1

Download Source Code (written in C++)  http://downloads.sourceforge.net/javara/JavaRaSource.zip?use_mirror=osdn



Created by Fred de Vries and Paul McLain.

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Deozaan:
I'm sort of happy that this happened. I've been using, and loving Maxthon for years (started using it when it was in beta years ago, version 0.7x) and have tried many times to switch to Firefox. This latest issue has forced me to use it, get to know it, and to bend it to my will. I love it! Only thing I miss are Maxthon's mouse gestures. The add-ins for Firefox are clunky.
-Darwin (December 17, 2008, 01:46 PM)
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I've never used Maxthon, so I'm not sure what its mouse gestures are like, but I absolutely love Marc Boullet's All-in-One Gestures for Firefox.

f0dder:
But you are not! Sun leaves the older version on your machine, to be exploited by anyone that wishes to do so. The end result is a backdoor for malware that is as wide open as ActiveX on IE 5.5 & older.  Most people don't know they have to go and uninstall the old version after updating.-app103 (December 19, 2008, 05:17 PM)
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Ummm, I know that development environments like eclipse allow you to target previous JRE versions in order to do compatibility testing, but doesn't the browser pick & use the latest JRE? Or can java applets specify a specific JRE version to use?

Darwin:
I'm sort of happy that this happened. I've been using, and loving Maxthon for years (started using it when it was in beta years ago, version 0.7x) and have tried many times to switch to Firefox. This latest issue has forced me to use it, get to know it, and to bend it to my will. I love it! Only thing I miss are Maxthon's mouse gestures. The add-ins for Firefox are clunky.
-Darwin (December 17, 2008, 01:46 PM)
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I've never used Maxthon, so I'm not sure what its mouse gestures are like, but I absolutely love Marc Boullet's All-in-One Gestures for Firefox.
-Deozaan (December 19, 2008, 05:57 PM)
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Yup - it's the best of the bunch, and the one that I use myself. Maxthon's are configured differently and seem to work more naturally to me, in that they don't get in the way of any other mouse activity, that I can see...

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