Windows Surface and Java

[ccoltmanm]

I use PowerTeacher, which is a grading program my school district has for teachers to input grades.

It uses Java to install and run a program on the desktop.

Can I use this on Windows Surface?

[vcfan]

No, WindowsRT IE doesnt support plugins,and JAVA is a VM anyways, which isnt allowed in metro. All these sites using JAVA have got to learn already to dump JAVA in the browser, because the JAVA runtime is so insecure. How many vulnerabilities are there going to be?

[ccoltmanm]

This isn't Java in the browser as much as a Java applet on the desktop.

[Aethec]

All WinRT desktop software has to be signed by MS to be ran. Java isn't.

Theoretically, Oracle could create a Java projection for WinRT (which wouldn't help in this case), or even a Java runtime using WinRT (which would do what you want but be extremely slow because a JIT is needed for performance and WinRT doesn't allow that), but that's it.

However, if you use the Surface Pro (not available yet), you can, because it's just a "normal" x86 Windows which means you can install Java.

[Argi]

Not on a Surface RT, no.

[vcfan]

This isn't Java in the browser as much as a Java applet on the desktop.

I understand, I was just saying ie doesnt support it,and also because it is a VM, WindowsRT also doesnt support any kind of software that is a VM that runs any kind of code inside of it. So even though JAVA can be ported to WindowsRT ARM devices, it still wouldnt be allowed because of those restrictions imposed by Microsoft.

[ccoltmanm]

Doesn't Windows RT have a desktop client of IE? Couldn't that still install add-ons like Java? It has Flash.

[pickytech]

All WinRT desktop software has to be signed by MS to be ran. Java isn't.

Yet. I'd be surprised if this were too far off. Then again, with the way that Oracle acts like Java is going to survive on its own, I wouldn't be too surprised if it didn't too.

[jakem1]

Doesn't Windows RT have a desktop client of IE? Couldn't that still install add-ons like Java? It has Flash.

No, I don't think so. Also, Flash is treated as a special case by MS - they're responsible for updating it and determining which sites it will work on.