Oracle discontinues Java plug-in for browsers

Oracle is discontinuing the Java plugin for browsers. Oracle is already deprecating the plug-in in version 9 of the Java Development Kit and it will disappear with upcoming Java SE releases. The company recommends replacing Java applets with Java Web Start.

Java Web Start does not require a plug-in and is therefore preferred in the future, Oracle notes. Google and Mozilla, among others, have already removed the Java plug-in from their browsers. Oracle cites the reduced support for browser plugins as the main reason to discourage further use of the Java plugin and to stop development. Browsers have stopped using it in part because the plug-in often leaked and allowed access to users’ PCs.

The Java plugin has been around for years and requires a separate installation. Sun and later Oracle were known to ship all kinds of software with Java, such as OpenOffice and the Ask toolbar. The use of the Java plugin has been declining for some time. Oracle has published a white paper to help web developers migrate.