The good thing about Java is the applet can be ran on different operating system such as Windows, Linux and Mac OS. One good example is the famous JDownloader that simplifies downloading files from One-Click-Hosters such as Rapidshare.com, Megaupload.com and hundreds of other similar websites. There are also free Java games that you can play online, scoreboards that uses Java to display the score live and many other online applications. Although installing Java is nearly a must nowadays, I do know a few people that doesn’t have Java Runtime installed on their computer.
They claim that Java slows down their computer and if you check in your task manager, there is a Java Quick Starter process jqs.exe that loads every time Windows is booted up. It is meant to improve initial startup time for most Java applets and applications. Other than that, people who have Java installed was affected by the Java Drive-By exploit which auto installs virus/spyware/trojan on the user’s computer if the user clicks the Yes button when visiting the website created by the hacker. If you’re using the latest version of Java, you will not be affected by this exploit. Having a good antivirus installed increases the chance of detecting the hidden installation of virus.
It is still possible to run Java applets and applications without installing Java by installing the portable version to your USB flash drive. Here’s a guide on how to do that.
1. First insert a USB flash drive to your computer. Let us say that the drive letter for that USB flash drive is G: drive.
2. Download Java Portable. Once finished downloading, run the downloaded executable file and click Next button twice until you are asked to choose an install location. By default the destination folder shows \CommonFiles\Java, add G: at the front so that it becomes G:\CommonFiles\Java and click the Install button. The installer will then download a 15MB Java.
3. When finished installing Java Portable, download Java Portable Launcher and take note of the destination folder again. Add G: infront so that the destination folder becomes G:\JavaPortableLauncher and click the Install button.
4. To run Java applet or application, open my computer and go to G:\JavaPortableLauncher and run JavaPortableLauncher.exe which will open a window asking you to select a JAR file. If you are getting the error “Java Portable Launcher cannot be started. You may wish to re-install to fix this issue. (ERROR: Java Portable [PortableApps.com/JavaPortable] could not be found)“, it means that you install Java Portable at the wrong location in step 2. Make sure that it is Java Portable is installed in G:\CommonFiles\Java (replace G: with the drive of your USB flash drive)
Java portable is mostly useful for you to run a Java applet or application on public computers such as library that doesn’t have Java installed. If you open a website that requires Java, then it will not work and the web browser such as Internet Explorer will tell you that “The page you are viewing uses Java. More information on Java support is available from the Microsoft website”. You will need to go to Java.com to download and install Java on that computer.