Exactly! I’ve been calling for people to do that for years now. [...]
In the long run though, uninstalling Java is the way to go even when running NoScript. Unless you have a mission critical program that requires it.
I dunno... without java and flash, the interwebs are pretty dang boring. I'll just stick to NoScript. Thanks though! : )
Incidentally, since we are talking about java, another really good tip is to uninstall ALL versions except the most current one - It has long been a pet peeve of mine that java's installer doesn't clean up (uninstall) previous versions on install. One can have many instances of JRE installed on the same dang machine.
Even when this bug is fixed (which will be pretty much immediately), The exploit remains because the old versions remain, and IIRC, can be called exclusively.
The uninstall process can be laborious if never done before, but is possible through normal means ('A&R Programs' in win9x-XP, 'Programs & Features' in vista-Win7), just uninstall every instance of Java except the most current one (the one with the highest version and build number).
OR, One can use a free and nifty aftermarket java maintenance utility, JavaRa, which will automate the process (among other utility features). This is a great tool for any service tech's toolkit.
ROAMER_1: I dunno... without java and flash, the interwebs are pretty dang boring.
Which is why I didn't advocate uninstalling flash, though hopefully HTML5 will soon make Flash obsolete (and the many vulnerabilities that come with it). Java does nothing for web site browsing. Literally... nothing. Web browsers are all bundled with their own JavaScript, which is what makes websites work. JavaScript is not Java. They are different things with similar names. Java is not needed for an interesting web experience. Uninstall it and you will see no difference on the web.
Now if you visit sites that want you to download and execute programs written in Java, then that's a different story. But those sites are extremely rare.