Bob Noel wrote:

you have way more faith in the correct operation of software than I.

The software in question (the interpreter) is provided by the internet browser.
I suppose it's always possible for sloppy coding in the Java interpreter to
screw up memory management, but the instruction set doesn't exist in Java to
allow a Java coder to do it. The same is true of file access - Java is incapable
of accessing your computer files or creating files on your machine because the
commands to do this don't exist in the language. This makes it impossible for a
hacker to modify your OS or install things like trojan horses by using Java.
About the worst they can do is cause other applets to start up when you try to
close a window. I've always found that killing the browser from the task window
takes care of that. I've also found that this never happens anyway if I stay
away from pornographic web sites.

George Patterson
The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.