The Tips - Mac Kung Fu - page 79

Tip 70
Turn Off Java
Java doesn't come as an out-of-the-box install on OS X Mountain Lion, but
it will be installed automatically when an app needs it. Any app you install
that needs Java will therefore install it the first time it runs, but this raises
an issue: Java has persistently been proven to be a serious security risk.
One solution is to simply turn off Java unless you need it. To do this, open
Java Preferences, which is in the UTILITIES folder of the Applications list of
Finder, and then remove the check alongside Enable Apple Plug-In and Web
Start Applications. Then remove the checks under the On heading in the list
of Java SE engines installed on your system.
Should an app start that needs Java, you'll be shown an error to the effect
that Java isn't installed. Simply repeat the previous steps in reverse and
enable Java—but don't forget to disable it again afterward!
You might also want to disable access to Java within Safari, bearing in mind
this is a typical attack vector for malware. To do so, start Safari, start System
Preferences (application menu→Preferences), and select the Security tab.
Then remove the check alongside Enable Java.
Tip 71
Notify from the Command Line
There's no official way of making a notification pop-up appear from the com-
mand line. This would be useful to send a message that a certain command
has completed, for example. The good news is that you can use a Ruby gem
called TERMINAL-NOTIFIER to do so (gems are extensions to the Ruby programming
language that's included with OS X).
To install TERMINAL-NOTIFIER , open a Terminal window in the usual way, and type
the following:
SUDO GEM INSTALL TERMINAL-NOTIFIER
Type your password when prompted. Installation should take seconds.