DEAR SUN SPOTS: This is a computer question. A few weeks ago a news item said that Java’s latest form had been hacked, and users were advised to disable it and/or not download that current form.

Java was said to be working on a solution which would be available “soon.” Has the Java problem been corrected? Is it now advisable to download current updates? — No Name via email

ANSWER: Sun Spots consulted several websites and Mr. Sun Spots, a computer professional. All her sources said that the recent problem with Java has been rectified and that Java is once again theoretically safe to use again.

However, sources also said that there is an intrinsic risk with Java. A January story on usatoday.com said that there were high hopes for Java when Sun Microsystems released the first versions of Java in the mid-1990s. 

But, the USA Today story said, “Java’s promise of cross-platform compatibility — ‘write once, run anywhere,’ as Sun’s pitch went — didn’t pan out either, leading to Web developers joking about ‘write once, debug everywhere’ and shying away from the software.”

So, this same article says, while some software developers worked around it, malware authors realized that “Java’s extensive deployment — Oracle, which bought Sun in 2009, estimates that it is on more than 850 million personal computers — made it a tempting target. That has led to attacks such as last spring’s Flashback, which took advantage of Java’s cross-platform compatibility to hijack Macs as well as Windows PCs.”

Mr. Sun Spots said that “Java gave the cross-platform challenge a really good try, and succeeded more than perhaps anyone else, even if that success was only partially realized.”

However, he was so concerned by the severity of the recent vulnerability that he has sworn off Java for the foreseeable future. If desperately needed (which hasn’t happened in the months since disabling it), Mr. Sun Spots suggested enabling Java on a one-time basis.

Ironically, Oracle added a feature to a fairly recent release that makes it easy to turn Java off, as well as to raise its security threshold in the event you choose to continue using it, so Mr. Sun Spots’ response to the problem was to download the latest version that included the patch, then disable Java, thereby easily enabling one-time exceptions as desired.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In response to the April 8 question regarding the iPad and how to update the operating system/software, one does not need a computer to update to a newer software.

In order to update, using the iPad and Wi-Fi connection, on the iPad go to settings> general>software update. If their iPad needs updating, it should then show a button to press if an update is available for download.

If one is available, it should not take very long, and the iPad should restart itself with the updated software. The reader should check for new updates often, as they are always updating to fix any bugs or glitches from the previous update. — Katie, Mexico

HAVE A QUESTION? Now would be a good time to ask. Sun Spots is low on queries. Please include your name and at least one of the following: mailing address, email or phone. 

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