Do I need the JAVA program or is it superficial for my basic computer activities?

Question

It keeps trying to install "version 7" but tries top sell me an "Open Office" program in the process.

Answer 1

Both Java and OpenOffice are completely free applications (OpenOffice is OPEN). The fact that Java Update shows ads about the applications it's used in is a poor design choice by Sun, Java's creators.

It's best to have the latest version installed if you want to make sure that most applets and applications requiring Java work. If you don't have any applications that were programmed in Java (examples: Netbeans, Azureus, some parts of OpenOffice), then you don't have to update or you could even remove Java from your computer if you like.

Answer 2

That's odd because open office isn't for sale, it's free.

You don't need java, but some sites may require it. Unless you do alot of stupid online games, you probably won't miss it.