Therefore, to downgrade and use Java 6, you can replace this package with a link to Apple's Java runtime. The installation of Java 7 does not remove the Java 6 runtime from OS X, but simply replaces Apple's Java Internet plug-in link with its plug-in package. In the meantime, if you have a Java applet that you need to run on your system and you can't get it working in Oracle's Java 7, then you can re-enable Java 6 without needing a Java runtime manager utility like Apple's Java Preferences. In essence, the basic difference is that one runtime is unpackaged and in a different location than the other runtime, which will require new versions of some Java programs to be released that look for Java in the proper locations. Components of the runtime such as the Internet plug-in are simply linked to so they can be accessed by your Web browsers. Java 7 from Oracle is completely embedded in the Java plug-in that is installed in the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ directory on the computer, whereas Apple's version is installed in the /System/Library/Java/ folder and is not bundled in a self-contained package, so that its contents can be accessed more globally by applications that need it. Usually with multiple Java runtimes installed you can use a utility such as Oracle's Java system preferences or Apple's Java Preferences tool to switch between runtimes however, the differences between the Oracle's and Apple's implementations make them incompatible with these utilities. While the Java runtime should have the necessary components to run most applications, the implementations differ enough, even in minor details, to make some programs simply throw up their hands and not run, claiming a valid Java installation needs to be run.Īs part of its latest updates to Java, Apple has pushed for users to leave the Java SE 6 platform and adopt Oracle's Java 7 runtime.
#Apple java 6 os x mac
The transition from Apple's Java implementation to Oracle's with the release of Java 7 is a bit of a problem for many Mac users.