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Questionable software

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Revision as of 07:25, 4 February 2014 by Rapespider (talk | contribs) (The previous Java section was ridiculous. I rewrote it from a neutral perspective. It would be best if non-programmers did not spout their views on Java here.)
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A list of terrible software, which should be avoided:

Java Runtime Environment

The Java Runtime Environment or JRE should not be confused with Java (programming language) or JavaScript (web scripting language).

The JRE is a software package that is required to run applications written in the Java programming language. It includes the Java Virtual Machine or JVM, the Java platform core classes, supporting Java platform libraries, and various Java plug-ins for popular web browsers. The JVM is responsible for the versatility of Java applications in terms of platform support. Unfortunately, it is also responsible for their relatively poor performance and high memory requirements. While the situation has certainly improved in recent years thanks to the Just-In-Time Compiler or JIT, Java applications still tend to be somewhat slower and heavier than their non-Java counterparts. Notably, certain applications like Libre Office require Java for certain features, but can be used without the JRE if the user is willing to sacrifice access to those features.

The debate about whether or not to install the JRE on one's computer is most related to security issues stemming from the various Java plug-ins for Web browsers. These plug-ins have no role whatsoever in running most Java applications and are only rarely required to display modern Web content. Due to the significant number of security vulnerabilities caused by these plug-ins in the past several years, major browser vendors like Mozilla and Google have taken steps to see that they are unable to execute without directly prompting the user. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that one verify manually that these plug-ins are indeed disabled, since they possess known security vulnerabilities at the time of this writing.

Skype

Microsoft records everything that goes through it, EVERYTING.

Takes large amounts of resources and is very slow. Sending files is very slow and videos are low quality probably because of all the analysis microsoft/NSA does on them.

Use Tox when it comes out instead.