SillyDog701

[James]

I'm finding more and more people who no longer bother installing Java, feeling that most sites will open just fine without it (i.e. flash, active X and so forth). How many here have Java installed?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3

[Don_HH2K]

I've found that Java still has a pretty strong foothold in academia - Java heavily outweighs Flash by usage as far as online resources for calculus, physics, etc go. I'm also taking Java-language programming courses that necessitate having the full-blown JDK installed, which of course comes with the JRE and its browser plugins. Not sure if any of that's relevant to what you're doing with it, of course.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100405 Namoroka/3.6.3

[stoperror]

I installed the 64-bit Java JDK as I wanted to mess around with programming in Java. But I realized I should have installed the 32-bit version (browser plugins and all). I then realized that I really don't need it installed (didn't like Java as a programming language, I think C# is superior) as I almost never go on a site that requires Java. And the sites that I go on that require Java usually have a Java-less version.

<opinion>Java is the 90's. HTML5 and Ajax are the future of enhanced websites, like it or not. With HTML5 and Ajax I don't need a bulky and slow framework installed, as it's integrated into the browser. HTML5 and Ajax are the 10's.</opinion>

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.2; en-US; rv:1.9.2.4) Gecko/20100503 Firefox/3.6.4

[James]

Thanks for the information, Don. It's probably something I really don't require in my very limited internet usage so I've chosen to uninstall it.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3

[Antony]

Before Flash and the AJAX thing, Java was the only thing that provides things HTML and (basic) JavaScript can't deliver.

Most people (average end users) feel that Java is slow, it is still true as most people only experience it in the form of Java Applets. Java application itself is not (that) slow.

Microsoft does not like Java.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.6; en-US; rv:1.9.1.9) Gecko/20100315 Firefox/3.5.9

[Anonymosity]

Many webcams use Java. If I want to view those, I need Java. Java is built in to Mac Firefox (and Mac OS has Java as part of its structure). I am also using Windows XP, and I need to have Java there for the webcams.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko Firefox/3.6.3

[James]

Our webcam appears to be working fine without it. Strange.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3