Manually checking for Java updates for your Mac or PC

Java, just like Adobe Flash, is often a major security flaw waiting to happen for both Mac and PC owners.Although Apple takes security very seriously and just about forces Mac users with Java to check for Java updates automatically, it’s still never a bad idea to check on your own from time to time.

Since we recently showed you how to check for Flash updates manually, it only made sense to follow up with a similar guide for Java, which is also a commonly-used web plugin. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to see if you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer or not.

Checking for Java updates on your Mac

Java is a little bit more of a pain in the butt to check for updates for.

Unlike Flash, which allowed you to check for updates directly from the System Preferences app, Java on your Mac is set to check for updates automatically, and your Mac really doesn’t want to let you disable this function despite how hard you might try (but why would you anyways?).

So, if the process is different, how is it done? We’ll show you… just follow these easy steps:

1) Launch your favorite web browser, such as Safari, and visit the Java version verification website.

2) Click on the big red Verify Java version button that shows on the website.

3) You may or may not be asked to trust the website to run Java, if you are asked, Trust it:

4) Your Mac should now ask you if you want to run Java (yes, it asks this immediately after you trust it). Click on the Run button.

5) The online tool will run and attempt to verify the Java version you have. If you’re up to date, you’ll get this message:

If you see any other message, you will need to update Java immediately for your security. The latest version of Java for Mac and PC can always be downloaded from Oracle’s website.

Wrapping up

Because Java can be such a huge security risk, many people choose not to run it at all. On the other hand, those that do need to keep it up to date so they don’t leave themselves wide open to hacks and malware infections that could leave their personal information wide open to hackers.

You may also be interested in:

• Removing Flash from your Mac
• Manually checking for updates for Flash on your Mac
  

Do you use Java on your system? Share in the comments below and let us know how often you check for updates, if even at all.

Source link:http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/05/18/manually-check-for-java-updates-for-mac/

Mid Atlantic Consulting is one of the topmost companies offering their fabulous Macintosh services and solutions. We are one of the known Macintosh support Maryland. Our Macintosh support team is updated with the latest Mac technologies and the issues that the Apple users face. Our Macintosh support DC, therefore, can provide accurate solutions for any doubts that one would have for his/her Apple devices.

WhatsApp expands to the desktop with Windows and Mac software

WhatsApp is taking its popular messaging service to the desktop with a new Mac and Windows app released Tuesday. It’s a pretty straightforward app: the millions of WhatsApp users can now continue conversations from their phone on a computer, and vice versa. That’s a boon for people who want to chat with friends on WhatsApp without having to use their phones.

The move should help WhatsApp better compete with other messaging services like Line, WeChat and Telegram, which already have desktop applications available for at least one platform. In order to set the app up, users have to scan a QR code inside the application with the Android or iPhone versions of WhatsApp, which will then allow them to log into the application and use it.

What’s interesting about this launch is that users of WhatsApp could already access the service on a computer using its web app. In addition, it’s also curious since Facebook doesn’t have a desktop application for its Messenger service, despite also owning WhatsApp.

Messaging applications have become increasingly popular over the past few years, with the expanding mobile market fueling their popularity. WhatsApp is one of the leaders in that market, and was acquired by Facebook in 2014 in a deal worth $22 billion.

The news comes shortly after WhatsApp was temporarily blocked by a judge in Brazil, after the company didn’t turn over data being sought by the government. That order was overturned on appeal last week.

Source link: http://www.macworld.com/article/3068621/software/whatsapp-expands-to-the-desktop.html

Mid Atlantic Consulting is one of the topmost companies offering their fabulous Macintosh services and solutions. We are one of the known Macintosh support Maryland. Our Macintosh support team is updated with the latest Mac technologies and the issues that the Apple users face. Our Macintosh support DC, therefore, can provide accurate solutions for any doubts that one would have for his/her Apple devices.

Remix OS alpha is here: run Android on your Mac

Remix OS, a software platform created in partnership with the Android-x86 project, is now available for download from the Jide website. Remix is basically a custom engineered version of Android Lollipop that can be installed onto a USB thumb drive to boot your Mac right into Android.

This is a pre-release alpha version of Remix intended for developers so it may be a bit rough around the edges and exhibit some hiccups. That being said, Remix OS is pretty cool: it has a custom user interface with built-in Amazon App Store, but you can sideload Google Play services to run virtually any Android app on your Mac.

To run Remix OS off a thumb drive, you will need a USB 3.0 flash drive that supports FAT32 format, with a minimum capacity of 8GB and a recommended writing speed of 20MB/s.

Upon downloading and unzipping the Remix OS for PC package, insert a flash drive to your Mac, launch the Remix OS USB Tool and follow the instructions to make a bootable copy of Remix OS.

Now reboot your Mac and press the Option (?) key to enter the Boot menu. Select your USB storage device containing a bootable copy of Remix OS and press Enter to boot right in Remix OS.

Unlike similar systems, Remix OS actually allows Android users to work in a traditional windowed app interface. They are also selling the $70 Remix Mini, a USB dongle that packs in a 64-bit mobile chipset, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0.

With the Mini, you can run Remix OS on any Windows or Mac PC that meets the minimum system requirements, without needing to install anything or burn the flash drive.

Remix OS will soon be upgraded to Android Marshmallow.

For more information about Remix OS, read my preview article, check out the official website or visit their Kickstarter project page.

Source link: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/01/12/remix-os-launches/ 

Our Macintosh support team provides some of the best Macintosh solutions in DC. Mid Atlantic Consulting is an authorized service provider and warranty center for Apple devices. Our Macintosh support DC includes Apple Macintosh, PC and printer service, repair and consulting along with our fantastic networking services.