Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[MNblockhead]

There were always people who didn't care as long as a site worked in IE.

I like to call support and complain that their site is useless in Lynx.

 

[dragoner]

The best, was like Atomic Rockets in safari, only side scrolled the entire site, no word wrap, I told Winchell and he just laughed.

 

[Ryujin]

Err... you're aware that Oracle owns Java? You're also talking about this language like it's defunct. I'm curious to hear what your involvement with software development is that would lead you to make that statement.

You mean the language that actively tells you to uninstall itself?

I have zero development involvement.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

You mean the language that actively tells you to uninstall itself?

I have zero development involvement.

If 'Java asks you to uninstall itself', one possibility is that you're installing a current version and the installer is asking you if you would like to uninstall older versions you have installed.

The other possibility is best explained with a little background...

Once upon a time, Java was common on desktops/laptops, for amongst other reasons, to run Java applets. A Java applet is basically a piece of Java software running on your desktop within a browser. Java applets were big in the early days of Java (say around the year 2000, give or take). They were important back then as web browsers were much limited in what they could do and communication with a back end server wasn't as simple/elegant as it later came to be. In other words, applets gave you the power of an application when web browsers were in the horse and buggy stage of their evolution. (For example, I was into the Washington Post crossword puzzle for a while back then... it ran as an applet.)

Applets became outdated and unnecessary in the last 15-20 years as other web technologies arose to fill the high-end functionality gap (HTML5, CSS3, WebSocket, JavaScript evolution, etc. if you care about the details). As such, the need for your everyday Joe to have Java installed on their desktop or laptop today is virtually non-existent.

All that to say, the reason that you run across this prompt outside the context of installing a new version of Java as I mentioned earlier, is that the Java installer will periodically wake up and check to see the last time you ran Java. If it's been a while (e.g. you are not using your PC for Java development), it'll ask you 'Do you still need me hanging around? I've been crashing on your couch for, like, six months man.'.

Like all software, an older version of Java might have a security hole that is fixed in a newer version; another reason for the occasional reminder if you aren't on the latest and greatest version.

Java is huge in the enterprise software and backend system world... there is just little to no need for it to be installed willy-nilly on folks' PCs nowadays.

 

[Scribe]

--

Ah yes, I see my choices are once again vindicated.

Except the amount of damage I continue to do to my shoulder, but listen we all have our flaws.

 

[RealAlHazred]

The best, was like Atomic Rockets in safari, only side scrolled the entire site, no word wrap, I told Winchell and he just laughed.

I mean, the site was always a labor of love, and he's got metastatic prostate cancer, so I give him all the breaks I can. I value what we have!

 

[dragoner]

I mean, the site was always a labor of love, and he's got metastatic prostate cancer, so I give him all the breaks I can. I value what we have!

Yeah, this was a while back before he had cancer. He is on my friends list.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Yeah, this was a while back before he had cancer. He is on my friends list.

I joined his Patreon as a thank you. He's definitely a turbonerd!

 

[dragoner]

I joined his Patreon as a thank you. He's definitely a turbonerd!

I don't remember what I was using then, like IE7 or something.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A Java applet is basically a piece of Java software running on your desktop within a browser. Java applets were big in the early days of Java (say around the year 2000, give or take).