Java Security and Browser Settings

NOTE: As of April 2015 Google Chrome has disabled plugin support necessary to run Java applets, such as Physlets. Other browsers (Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer) still support Java applets.

Java Control Panel Security Settings

Oracle has changed the level of Java Security in the Java Control Panel necessary for running Physlets. The level of security in the Java Control Panel now needs to be at High. The following two documents describe how to check the Java Control Panel Setting is set to High on both Windows and Macintosh computers:

Windows Settings | Macintosh Settings

Browser Settings for Java

In order to secure Java over the past year, Oracle has also changed the way one interacts with Java applets in a browser.

• When you first load a Physlet from the Physlet Physics ComPADRE site, you will get a Java Certificate dialog. It tells you that the digital signature of Physlets has been verified and asks if you want to run the application. It also asks if you want to always trust the author of Physlets and the American Association of Physics Teachers. Select the trust check box and hit the Run button. You will not see the dialog again if you do not remove this certificate from your Java Control Panel.
• Each session, when you load a Physlet for the first time, you will get a Security Warning asking whether you want to block the Java applet. On the Physlet Physics ComPADRE site select Don't Block. This dialog should occur once, but occasionally occurs if you navigate to numerous pages.

Windows and Firefox and Internet Explorer

On Windows computers, the Security Warning dialog sometimes flashes and is placed beneath the web browser. This may lead you to think that the web page has frozen. It has not; it is waiting for the applets to be unblocked. Navigate to the warning by clicking on the Java icon in the taskbar and select Don't Block.

Macintosh and Safari

On Macintosh computers, the Security Warning dialog sometimes flashes and is placed beneath the web browser. This may lead you to think that the web page has frozen. It has not; it is waiting for the applets to be unblocked. Navigate to the warning by clicking on the Java icon in the dock and select Don't Block.

Additionally on Safari, navigate to Preferences and select Security, then select:

• Web content: Enable JavaScript
• Internet plug-ins: Allow Java
• To Allow Java, select the Manage Webite Settings, and change ALLOW to ALLOW ALWAYS for www.compadre.org and/or compadre.org. These options will appear after the first time you visit the Physlet Physics ComPADRE site.