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DianeK

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 4, 2013
222
8
Please help me sort this out. So Apple released the update to it's Java 6. Oracle has released Java 7. Which one should be used? I did a spotlight search (see screenshot) and I can't even tell if I have Java on my computer... is that what Java VisualVM is?
 

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Apple has well and truly jacked this whole Java thing up beyond belief, so you are not alone in your confusion.

First we had Java 6 provided by Apple. That provided the ability to run local Java apps like Crashplan etc. and also provided a web plugin. Then Java 7 cam along and replaced the Java web plugin with the Java 7 version.

So what you have now on a default install is Java 6 will install the first time you run a local app that needs it, then the Oracle updates provide Java 7 for the web plugin part of all this.

http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp

Go the above link to make sure you have the latest Java 7 version.

The short answer is they coexist and are for different purposes.
 
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