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Q: In last Sunday’s paper there was a small report recommending people disable Java program from their computers. I have done so with no apparent problem. As I was going down thru the other programs I found several…most involving Microsoft .net framework. I would like to remove some of these also when they are listed as rarely used. They are using small amounts of MB, Is it safe to do so? I run Internet Explorer 8.

– Nancy C.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida

A: That warning was all over the news for about a day, last week Nancy.  What was significant about it to me was that it was issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  Gee, who knew that Homeland Security included such mundane issues as attacks on privately-owned PCs?  Nevertheless, that’s what happened.  The announcement indicated that a critical vulnerability had been identified, and as you said, it recommended disabling Java without hesitation.  I personally find this rather odd, considering the vast array of malware and unfathomable number of cyber attacks that are known to exist.  I don’t remember the Department of Homeland Security ever recommending disabling any other vulnerability-ridden software package.  As you might expect, Oracle Corp – the publisher of Java – already had a fix in the works by the time word got around about the vulnerability, and last Monday they announced that the problem had been fixed.  Of course, “fixed” means that if you need Java (and most people actually don’t need it) you need to update Java.  So, if you haven’t disabled it already, go and uninstall it, and if you find that you do actually need it, don’t install any version prior to Java 7, Update 11.  By the way, don’t mix-up Java with JavaScript.  They are two completely unrelated (if poorly named) software components.  There is no need to try and disable JavaScript, and you won’t see it in your list of installed software, because it is part of your web browser.

(Caution!  Some extremely Geeky concepts and terminology lie ahead!  You don’t necessarily need to understand them, but I’m explaining because you asked about the .NET Framework.)  As for your question about “other programs” on your computer, I recommend that you do not remove any of the installed versions of the .NET Framework.  Don’t believe Windows when it says it’s used “Rarely”.  The truth is that Windows doesn’t track how often it is used, because the .NET Framework is not a program.  That‘s another way of saying that it’s not something that you, yourself can run.  It is automatically used by programs which require it, but you won’t find it on your Start menu, and you won’t see an icon for it anywhere.  So, Windows never sees it get launched, and because Windows uses the launch count to determine how often a program is used, it erroneously reports that it’s rarely used.

Just because it’s not a program doesn’t mean the .NET Framework is not software.  It’s an interoperability library that, among other things, provides a software environment (as opposed to a hardware environment) within which programs that were designed to use the Framework can run.  Such programs require the framework, and moreover, the correct version of it, which is why you probably see multiple versions on your system.  Honestly though, the .NET Framework is something for software engineer Geeks like me to worry about, but since the Framework is not an actual component of Windows, it appears in the list of “Installed Software” so people who don’t understand its purpose can see it and wonder why it’s there (Thanks, Bill!).  It found its way onto your system either in a Windows update, or during the installation of a program that needed it.  If it was installed by a program, it will be automatically uninstalled when that program is uninstalled.  In the mean time, if you manually uninstall it, you could cripple programs that require it to execute, so it’s best to just sacrifice those megabytes and be happy the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t just recommend uninstalling Windows entirely.