There were a flurry of updates to Java version 7 since Homeland Security and other entities declared Java a significant security risk. Questions were raised whether or not Java could be successfully patched, at least in a reasonable amount of time.
Now the updates had settled down quite a bit since Update 21 and has been holding at 25 for, oh, say a month or two.
If you took the stormy clouds of threatening warnings to heart or head and turned off or uninstalled Java entirely - and find that you still don't need it, then do nothing.
But if you haven't turned off or uninstalled Java, here's the link to check whether your version is up to date: http://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp
When done, your browser should show the following confirmation:
Safe surfing, now!
Ever wonder why your PC or laptop takes longer & longer to boot, seems a bit sluggish? You may have a bunch of applications starting up automatically. Worse, most remain active. I have chosen Java as my application for this complaint.
Java's default setting, upon install is to automatically check for updates.
So, after I installed Java the last time, I unchecked this option. However, Java did not remove the app in the System Configuration's Startup list:
So, I had to reset that option, as well.
Now I have installed the latest update, the settings have returned. And Java is one of those PESKY program installations that offer a toolbar for Internet Explorer. Once upon a time, toolbars had some functionality that was useful and downright desirable. Not anymore.
The only program I permit to update automatically is Norton. Actually, Norton no longer puts items in the Startup list. For real-time anti-malware protection, I strongly recommend permitting automatic updates.
I've disabled Windows Updates as well. I do not need it to run every time I boot my computer. I don't recommend this to others - as annoying as they are, they are worth installing.
Now, I know everyone screams when they see the Adobe Flash update notice when it appears. But at least Adobe runs the install, cleans up after itself, doesn't change any user-defined settings, and does not try to upgrade you to a paid version or sneak a toolbar or home page change in with the installation process.
And they've set it up to only run when booting your system. You won't be interrupted while streaming a movie or writing in a document where you might accidentally trigger an action from an unexpected pop-up. That's one thing I like about Flash; and that's all I have to say about that.
I hear Jimmy Fallon saying, "Thank you, AdBlock Plus, for removing those annoying, unnerving ads that read my emails before I do." So have you ever noticed the advertising in Gmail or Facebook that "know" the keywords in the message?
Firefox was the first browser that had an extension (think, "App") that would prevent virtually all advertising as you surf the Web. Chrome has had it since 2010 and similar AdBlock add-ons for Internet Explorer & Safari are available.
I highly recommend adding AdBlock Plus to your browser.
