Do I need Java on my computer?

Java is a software that is on most computers or laptops and is used to view some documents on the web and is also used in Cloud Drive. Cloud Drive is a software that stores your files and allows you to access them from other computers. But in the last two years not many websites are using Java anymore and now all video sites use flash players to play videos.




Java is different from Javascript which is built into some websites but is not on the computer. Also most web browsers like Flock and Google Chrome and others do not use Java to display content. Even Internet Explorer does not need Java to function, and as long as you have a flash video player installed,you should be able to watch videos on your computer or laptop without Java.
Even most PDF files can be viewed without Java,but you will not be able to view content on websites that still use Java if you do not have it installed. In which case you have to download Java from the web,if you do not already have it.

But there are disadvantages in this software as Java is insecure software, and there is a risk of it attracting other software that can harm your computer. I scanned my laptop using Secunia software updater and it told me my Java software was insecure, and that there was no solution but to uninstall it.

So I looked on the web and read several articles,and they said that not having Java would not effect the running of my computer. The only thing that would be effected is that I would not be able to view some websites without Java. But as I mentioned few websites use Java now,so I uninstalled Java from my laptop.

Since I have done this I have found that my web browsers are a lot faster now and nothing has been effected. I can still go onto all websites and watch videos on all sites normally. Also I can download PDF files as I could before and most files use Adobe reader to view and download files,so Java is not needed here either. Also Google Docs,where you can create your own files does not use Java for this function so,again I could view all of my documents.

The only thing I could not do was access Cloud Drive,but as you have to pay for this service I do not need this.

Also one important point to make is that when I got my laptop,it did not have Java installed,I had to download and install it myself. Which suggests Java is not an essential software.

But if you do have Java on your computer or laptop it is important to update it when Windows tells you to. Do not refuse the updates because if you do you could be putting your computer at risk of viruses.

So you can either update Java or uninstall it completely but do not keep outdated versions of it.

It is true that some Microsoft documents still use Java software and it is also true that Java does carry a security risk to your other software. But it is not true that you need Java for your computer to function.

There are alternatives to Java that can be downloaded and installed from the Internet. But if you have Windows 7 like I do,Windows may not recognize this software. Which could cause problems,so it is best not to use an alternative.

If you do not want Java on your PC, or if you have it but want to uninstall it,it is safe to do so.

And if you do come across a website,that says you need Java to view it,you can re install it again if you wish to.

But I find that my laptop is working a lot better and I can get onto websites a lot faster since I uninstalled Java. So I do not plan to install Java again in the future. So not uninstalling Java will not mess up your computer or laptop or other software.