Apple tries to kill its ain Java on most Macs

Pushes users to deal with Oracle, which maintains Java 7 for OS 10

Apple yesterday started scrubbing most Macs of older Java browser plug-ins, a motility that will force users to download the software from Oracle. The visitor also patched Java for OS X, the 2nd time Apple synchronized its Java security update with Oracle'due south, releasing its patches for Os X the same solar day as the Java software maker.

Forth with the Coffee patches, Apple tree beefed by Os X security by uninstalling quondam browser plug-ins for the software.

The update aimed at Panthera leo and Mountain Lion --which collectively accounted for 60% of all Macs last month -- zaps plug-ins provided by Apple via Java 6 and earlier.

"This update uninstalls the Apple-provided Java applet plug-in from all Web browsers," Apple tree said in a support document.

Apple'south Java update for Snowfall Leopard did something unlike: "On systems that have not already installed Coffee for Mac Bone X x.half dozen update 9 or later, this update will configure Web browsers to not automatically run Java applets," Apple stated.

After the Lion and Mount Lion update is practical, users who browse to websites that require Java will come across the message "Missing plug-in," and can then continue to the Oracle site to download the newest version of Java 7 and its browser plug-in.

Apple tree has been ratcheting up efforts to eliminate some plug-ins, notably Adobe'south Flash Player and Oracle's Java, after hundreds of thousands of Macs were infected by the Flashback Trojan horse last March and April.

The company reacted with several measures, including blocking older versions of Flash. Earlier, Apple tree had made similar moves on Coffee, first blocking automatic execution of the Oracle plug-in, then following that with a patch that automatically disabled the plug-in if it had non been run in the past 35 days.

Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, saw Wednesday's plug-in elimination as both a security enhancement and an try past Apple to push customers towards Oracle as the distributor of Java.

"[This] might be part of the migration to a Java completely provided by Oracle," said Kandek via instant message today. "It will [also] enhance security, and reduce the number of web-accessible Java installations on Macs."