The biggest security headache for Java users has been “Java Applets” that run inside many browsers. Oracle has finally announced the end of support for plugins in the next big release of Java.
All of this has no effect on the My Docs Online Desktop App, which does not use plugin technology, but instead relies on the recommended “Java Web Start”.
There’s been a lot of news of late regarding Java Applet vulnerabilities. The usual scenario is a link in a phishing email leads the unsuspecting victim to a hacker website that uses unpatched security flaws in Java Applet plugins to compromise the user’s PC. Some commentators are advising you disable Java Applet Plugins in whatever browser you use.
If you choose to disable Java Applets in your web browser will it cause the Java-based My Docs Online Desktop App to stop working?
The short answer is: No, it will not. You can disable Java applets and still use the Desktop App.
Java applets are browser plugins or extensions that run inside your browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari…).
The Desktop App is a Java application and does not run inside the browser. We also authenticate the application with a secure digital signature.
If you turn off Java applets in your browser for security reasons it will have no effect on your ability to run the Desktop App.
If you’ve recently had an automatic update to your Windows operating system and the Desktop App is no longer working the problem is most likely related your Java cache, which needs to be cleared. The problem can be resolved in about 2 minutes by following these instructions from our FAQ.
If you have any problems with the instructions please let us know and we can walk you through the fix. There are a variety of ways to reach us – all available here.
An update this week to the My Docs Online Desktop App allows Administrators to pick and choose what actions group members can use. For instance, if you want all file accesses to be via “Lock & Open” you can “turn off” View, Download, etc. You can set overall rules for the entire group and then make exceptions for specific users.
These controls are in addition to the standard permissions, which control overall access to files in a folder.
Also new in this release is control over the length of Locks for Lock & Open processing, which can now be set to 24 hours, 7 days (the default) or “Until Unlocked”. Using the “Until Unlocked” option essentially turns the Lock & Open feature into a “Check-Out/Check-In” operation giving long-term control of a file or document to a particular user. Of course the administrator always has the option of overriding a lengthy Lock by using “Foce Unlock”.
As always, the update to the Desktop App is automatic the next time you open the application. For additional details clock “Help…Help Topics” in the Desktop App, or follow the detailed instructions on the Account Settings screens.
A new user recently emailed us to point out that My Docs Online, using WebDAV and the Desktop App, is working nicely as an alternative to MobileMe and iDisk, which will no longer be available after June.
Here’s what he said to us:
I just signed up for your service after evaluating many others over the last few days. Your interface seems closest to what I had with the iDisk under Apple’s Mobile Me. I upgraded to Lion and also had to find something before June 30 when the iDisk goes away.
I use the OverTheAir app for my iPhone and iPad2 to get to your site, I use the “go to server” (WebDAV) method on my OS 10.6 Mac computer and the desktop app on my Lion (10.7) Mac.
– Bud Cothern
Apple’s iCloud is very different from iDisk. iDisk is (soon to be was) a remote server that is organized like a typical drive, with a folder tree, and accessible via standard, open methods like WebDAV. iCloud is closed, and accessible only via apps using the interface provided by the operating system. It’s another outgrowth of iOS, where the location of files is generally hidden, and files are accessible from the apps that handle them. Mountain Lion for the Mac will work much the same when it is released later this year.
That means there’s no way to use the iCloud storage outside the services and apps that make use of it, such as iPhoto, iTunes Match, iWork, and AppStore apps that makes use of the iCloud Storage APIs.
The Desktop App, available for both Windows and Mac users, is becoming more and more popular for everyday use by our customers, and by our customers’ customers. Now you can opt to use a custom version that displays your logo on the sign-in screen and on the file list screen, like this example below for the STEP Program for BMW of North America, LLC.
How can you get your logo incorporated into your own copy of the Desktop App?
Send a request to [email protected]. Tell us your group admin ID and attach a logo (or point us to your website so we can find a logo there).
We’ll do the work and send you back a unique link you can share with your customers and users.
If you don’t yet have a My Docs Online account there is no time like the present to get started. You can sign up for a free My Docs Online trial account here.
