Java update.

[anotheoldgit]

I keep getting a reminder to update 'Java'.

Can anyone please tell me what is it for, and is it safe to update?

[deggers316]

yes its safe to do this
java is needed by a lot of progs to work

[squarebear]

Yes, it is safe but well done for asking first.

[ChuckFickens]

It's programming language used for a few things (open office is written in JAVA for example)

It's safe to update, but to be honest, it's one of those things that appears on a lot of peoples computers when they don't really need it.

I'd personally remove it totally and see if anything stops working, if it does reinstall the latest version, if everything works fine leave it off altogether.

[ChuckFickens]

"Java allows you to play online games"

That'll be java script, not java.

[Old_Geezer]

Hmmm, surely the progs you have already installed ought to be capable of running on the java you already have ? Anything new ought to update as required. (Unless they're admitting to a defect and necessary security patch.)

[jacksprat16]

java does have updates you can set auto update in the control panel where the java panel resides

[Cowtipper]

Because it gets hacked you should allow Java and Adobe to auto update. Most of the time its a security issue.

[anotheoldgit]

Thank you for all your answers and I am sorry for the delay in responding.

Ticking the auto updates seems to be a good idea if I can find where to tick.