Oracle announced that it is putting a life sentence on the Java browser plugin, which was found to often display security problems and require updates that are more frequent than normal.
The decision was revealed in a new blog post, where Oracle offered a few details about its plans.
"Oracle plans to deprecate the Java browser plugin in JDK 9," said Oracle. "This technology will be removed from the Oracle JDK and JRE in a future Java SE release."
Oracle acquired Java along with its purchase of Sun Microsystems in 2010, but the plugin has long been a sore topic. The Java plugin started threatening browsers' security back in 1995 and stirred plenty of controversy ever since.
With its latest decision, Oracle is the latest to have joined the "anti-Java plugin" sentiment, something that Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge have already shared ahead of Oracle's announcement. These companies have all expressed that they are either aborted the support for plugins or they are doing that step in the not so distant future.
Apart from issues on security and annoying updates, installing the plugin would also lead users to opt for an Ask Toolbar download. Since it becomes automatically integrated with the Java download, users can opt to have either the Ask Search Toolbar or the Ask Shopping Toolbar.
Eliminating the plugin may seem like an easy thing to do but in reality, there are a number of issues that should be considered.
Andy Chou, founder of Coverity, previously said that he had no idea if it would be possible for Oracle to move Java into a path that is more secure.
"It's easy to take potshots from the outside and say that a development organization should just shift to faster patching," said Chou. "Making big changes requires laying new processes down that affect the entire software development process, which may involve hundreds or thousands of people. It takes time, even when the organization is serious about it."
One of the alternative options that is being considered by developers of applications is migrating from Java Applets to the Java Web Start technology which is absolutely plug-in free.
Oracle also announced the early access releases of JDK 9, which users can now download and start testing. The company also created a short whitepaper which offers additional background and details on the various migration options.
