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Oracle Now Bundling Ask.com Adware With Java for Mac

Great; if I didn't need Java to run tools like Eclipse and IntelliJ, this'd be the nail in its coffin. I expect this from free Windows programs from no-name companies but Oracle should know better than to associate themselves with this kind of deceptive crap.
 
haravikk said:
Great; if I didn't need Java to run tools like Eclipse and IntelliJ, this'd be the nail in its coffin. I expect this from free Windows programs from no-name companies but Oracle should know better than to associate themselves with this kind of deceptive crap.
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Been happening for years and years for Java in the PC environment and with many other installers in general.

Not sure I really get the great outrage all of a sudden.
 
chrfr said:
The ask.com garbage only installs if you leave the boxes for it checked. I would figure this counts as consent, even if its disingenuous on Oracle's part.
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Pre-checked boxes are not legal in Canada as stated here:

http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/com500/faq500.htm

"""
Can I use pre-checked boxes in order to obtain express consent?

The manner in which you request express consent cannot presume consent on the part of the end-user. Silence or inaction on the part of the end-user also cannot be construed as providing express consent. For example, a pre-checked box cannot be used, as it assumes consent.

Rather, express consent must be obtained through an opt-in mechanism, as opposed to opt-out. The end-user must take a positive action to indicate their consent. For example, this can be done by providing a blank box which a user can check off to indicate consent.

For more information, please see Compliance and Enforcement Information Bulletin CRTC 2012-549 on the use of toggling to obtain express consent.
"""
 
jlseattle said:
They have to make a dollar somehow. lol It like getting all that ad ware software free with a magazine subscription. Always low quality, buggy and often times machine disabling crap.
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Oracle rakes in enough money on Oracle licensing... seriously the founder owns multiple fighter jets and is beyond wealthy. This is just greed.
 
C DM said:
Been happening for years and years for Java in the PC environment and with many other installers in general.

Not sure I really get the great outrage all of a sudden.
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That's the big thing. Mac users aren't used to it. Some even use it as a way of promoting OS X, as "you never get adware with your installs on OS X".

binaryspiral said:
Oracle rakes in enough money on Oracle licensing... seriously the founder owns multiple fighter jets and is beyond wealthy. This is just greed.
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Are you sure you mean fighter jets? 😵
 
Michael Goff said:
That's the big thing. Mac users aren't used to it. Some even use it as a way of promoting OS X, as "you never get adware with your installs on OS X".



Are you sure you mean fighter jets? 😵
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I've seen it on some other installers before but it's certainly not something that's common on Macs. Seems like Mac users need to be more attentive that they thought until some day in the future they somehow get rid of bundling installers and the like if that ever happens.
 
The add-in appears to be part of the installer app (it's not a PKG), not the Java installation itself. To avoid installation of ASK entirely, open the application bundle, then go into Contents > Resources and run the PKG installer that's buried in there. This is also how anyone who manages a fleet of Macs, and needs silent, deployable installers can get a deployable version, turning 8.0 U40 from a management disaster into a minor annoyance.
 
Robert.Walter said:
I feel sorry for all the folks who leave Java installed like they actually need it for something other than crapware bundling by oracle and offering hackers an easy to exploit RAT vector into their computer.

Do yourself a big favor and deinstall Java today.
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Ahh, the old "if I don't find something useful, no one else could possibly need it" routine.

Do yourself a big favour and don't generalise your requirements on to everyone else.

I cannot do certain aspects of my job without Java...

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Elbon said:
Sure. I should clarify. For the most part, non-developers should not need or even need to be aware of the existence of Java - just like most Mac or iPhone users don't need to know what Objective-C or Cocoa is.
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It's not all the same thing since Objective C and Cocoa are both native and bundled with the OS. Java needs to be explicitly installed by the end user if it is required so i'm not sure how they can be unaware of its existence if they require it.

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AdonisSMU said:
It's such a crap language anyway.
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Why? What are the technical reasons for your opinion?

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junkstory said:
As a developer, I hate their IDE. Eclipse is the worst developer environment I have ever used
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It's not their IDE. Eclipse has its history with IBM, not Sun/Oracle. As a developer, why don't you link us to something you have developed?

and Java is an inferior language compared to C# and Objective-C.
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Why?
 
Naaaaak said:
This is a perfect example of Java as a language and as a runtime:
Complete garbage you don't want or need, ever.
....
</tech rant>
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Oh the irony, it hurts. Nothing about your rant was "tech" -- quite the opposite as it demonstrated how much you do not understand about Java or its uses.

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MacBH928 said:
whats the use of Java any way? all I remember is that it used to make a picture like a rippling pond in your browser back in the late 90's
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No use at all. The backends of the following websites make extensive use of Java, but its unlikely you've ever heard of them (they are not very big).

google.com
youtube.com
facebook.com
amazon.com
twitter.com
ebay.com
linkedin.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_languages_used_in_most_popular_websites

🙄🙄🙄🙄
 
Winni said:
Neither Flash nor Java are going away any time soon.
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And they don't have to. That doesn't change the fact that a lot of end users and especially Mac users are going to have less and less of a need for them, certainly Flash. Which is a very welcome development indeed. 🙂
 
Despite Oracle's efforts Java remains a great platform and programming language. I have never needed to visit java.com to install java but I've been around for >15 years. This is not an excuse for anyone to bundle a product with unnecessary 3rd party applications (at least Oracle doesn't do it secretly without user's approval) as it feeds the half-ignorant forum trolls and allows fanboys of crappy languages to bash it.
 
I don't install Java or Flash on my OS X system.

When I need Flash I use Chrome and when I need Java (haven't in over a year) I use my Windows VM. I keep that backed up so I can install all my crap on that and if something ever goes wrong I can just restore it.
 
I just downloaded version 8u40, and the ask.com "feature" appears to be gone. Is that actually the case?
 
update via the console doesn't work(1.8 31 to 45). had to download it from java.com and didn't see the ask.com there this time.
 
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