The technology company Oracle is retiring its Java browser plug-in. The software is widely used to write programs that run in web browsers.

Next year, the Java browser plug-in, which is frequently the target of Web-based exploits, will be retired by Oracle.

Topic warns that any developers working on apps that still rely on the Java plugin will switch to something else, like Oracle’s standalone Java framework Java Web Start.

Good news: Oracle says the next major version of its Java software will no longer plug directly into the user’s Web browser. This long overdue step should cut down dramatically on the number of ...

This is to prevent drive-by-downloads, as Oracle explains: This affects the conditions under which unsigned (sandboxed) Java web applications can run.

Oracle will support Java Web Start in Java 8 until March 2025 and products that have dependencies on Web Start will be supported on a timeline determined by those products.