Does Wolfram Alpha use Java?

January 20, 2013 8:19 AM

Loading this web page I get an error saying that a plugin is disabled. I've disabled Java. How do I tell if this page is using Java? I've placed the page's source code here if that helps answer the question. Thanks!
posted by dfriedman to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

Yeah that's Java. Check the "applet" tag for confirmation.
posted by Nelson at 8:21 AM on January 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Sorry, if it matters (I don't think it does), I am using Firefox 19.0 on OS X 10.8.2.
posted by dfriedman at 8:21 AM on January 20, 2013

Yup, Java.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:29 AM on January 20, 2013

BTW, I believe it's safe to update and run Java now.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:27 AM on January 20, 2013

humboldt32...Do you have a source for this? Apple quietly disabled Java running on Macs last week, because of the latest exploit.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:35 AM on January 20, 2013

You can enable opt-in "click to play" Java in Firefox by going to about:config and and setting "plugins.click_to_play" to "true". This will apply to stuff like Flash players too, though.
posted by neckro23 at 11:00 AM on January 20, 2013

> I believe it's safe to update and run Java now.

I doubt it. Yes, Oracle released an "emergency patch" update after the shit publicly hit the fan last week, but the problem has been known to techies since at least last August. Thor's link confirms that the update fixed nothing.
posted by megatherium at 11:01 AM on January 20, 2013

Sorry I assumed the update was a fix.

Turning it off again.
posted by humboldt32 at 1:36 PM on January 20, 2013

If you run Firefox and install the NoScript extension, you can leave Java turned on in your Firefox preferences because NoScript will turn it off except for sites you specifically whitelist. Unless you have reason to believe that Wolfram Alpha is hosting Java sploits, this should be safe enough for all practical purposes.
posted by flabdablet at 2:46 AM on January 21, 2013