Past a website browser and office suite what is necessary for a computer to complete day to day t...

[G+_Jason Perry]

Past a website browser and office suite what is necessary for a computer to complete day to day tasks? And what should be avoided?

 

As an example I hopped on a computer yesterday that had: Adobe Air, flash player, Java, 3 antivirus programs, and a list of toolbars.

 

I uninstalled everything but Java, and installed MS security Essentials.

[G+_Travis Hershberger]

You really don't need anything but a web browser anymore. With Office365 or Nextcloud and Libre Office Online, most daily functionality is now available via a web browser. It's also where business is headed using what's called LANless.

[G+_Jason Perry]

Travis Hershberger?

But what about platforms such as Java so sites on the Web function?

 

This is a double edged sword for me. If I install something like Java I have to make sure it is updated and it also presents more opportunities to exploit the computer. On the other side I want users to be able to carry out day to day activities.

 

I should probably put VLC on the computers as well.

[G+_Travis Hershberger]

Java isn't something I ever want to see run over a public connection, period. I'd uninstall it completely if I could, but I still need it for things like iDRAC.

 

Java also shouldn't be confused with javascript. I know the names look similar, but they really have nothing to do with each other.

[G+_Jason Perry]

Perfect I will remove it until I find out it is necessary for something to run.