You may have heard recent news about security vulnerabilities in Oracle’s Java plug-in or experienced issues launching ReadyTalk as a chairperson or co-presenter. We’d like to address some of the concerns you may have as well as lay out some options for you as our customers. Our number one priority is getting you and your co-presenters into ReadyTalk meetings as fast and easy as possible.

What’s going on with Java?

In response to a warning issued by the Department of Homeland Security regarding security vulnerabilities in the Oracle Java browser plug-in, Apple Inc. began proactively disabling the Java plug-in for the Safari browser. In addition Mozilla began disabling the Java plug-in for the Firefox browser (versions 17 and higher) on all platforms (Mac, Windows, and Linux). Oracle immediately responded and released a patch (Java Version 7 Update 11 and subsequently update 13) that addresses the security vulnerability. ReadyTalk recommends that all of our customers install the most recent version of the Java plug-in immediately.

To download this free update, please visit the Oracle Java download site.

How does ReadyTalk use Java?

Java assists in the launching of the ReadyTalk Conference Controls for chairpersons and co-presenters, but the ReadyTalk Conference Controls do not run on Java. The ReadyTalk Participant Application is Flash-based and does not rely on Java to launch or function.

What’s ReadyTalk doing about it?

ReadyTalk’s number one concern is giving our customers and their audience as many options as possible to start and join a ReadyTalk meeting.

In the short-term, we’ve developed a workaround for our most affected users, which tend to be those on the Mac platform. This workaround enables chairpersons and co-presenters on Mac to manually download the ReadyTalk Conference Controls if they are unable to load them with the Java browser plug-in. Note that this manual download option is available to users on Windows and Linux as well. 

In the long-term, ReadyTalk will be completely moving  away from Java and updating our service to remove any dependency on the Java browser plug-in for launching Conference Controls.

What are my options today?

There are a number of workarounds available today to help chairpersons and co-presenters effectively launch the ReadyTalk Conference Controls.

For Chairpersons

Mac Chairpersons:

o   Launch your On-Demand Meetings with the ReadyTalk Quick Launcher.

ReadyTalk’s Quick Launcher is a tool for Mac and Windows that lives on your desktop and/or in your system tray. It enables you to quickly start and join on-demand ReadyTalk meetings. Launching meetings through the Quick Launcher does not rely on the Java browser plug-in bypassing your need for the plug-in altogether. If you would like more information on the Quick Launcher please check out the blog post. If you’d like to download the Quick Launcher please check out our website.

o   Manually download the ReadyTalk Conference Controls when logging in as a chairperson or when promoted to co-presenter.

If you are starting a scheduled or on-demand meeting through ReadyTalk Conference Center, you have the option to bypass Java by performing a manual download of the ReadyTalk Conference Controls.

Step 1: Simply click the “Having trouble downloading?” link to download the ConferenceControls.dmg file.

Step 2: Once downloaded, open and run the ConferenceControls.dmg file, input the security code displayed in your browser, and click login. This process will also work for participants being promoted to co-presenter.

o   Use the Safari or Firefox browser with the latest Java update installed (Java Version 7 update 13) to launch your meetings through the ReadyTalk Conference Center.The Chrome browser  is not supported on Mac’s today as there is no Java plug-in available for Chrome on Mac.

Windows Chairpersons:

o   Launch your On-Demand meetings with the ReadyTalk Quick Launcher. (See description above)

o   Manually download the ReadyTalk Conference Controls when logging in as a chairperson or when promoted to co-presenter.

Step 1: Simply click the “Having trouble downloading?” link and download the appropriate version of the ReadyTalk Conference Controls (32 or 64 bit). 

Step 2: Once downloaded, open and run the conferencecontrols.exe file, input the security code displayed in your browser, and click login. This process will also work for participants being promoted to co-presenter.

o   Use the Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome browser with the latest Java update installed (Java Version 7 update 13) to launch your meetings through the ReadyTalk Conference Center.

Linux Chairpersons:

o   Manually download the ReadyTalk Conference Controls when logging in as a chairperson. (See description above)

o   Use the Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome browser with the latest Java update installed (Java Version 7 update 13) to launch your meetings through the ReadyTalk Conference Center.

Options for your Co-Presenters

Mac Co-Presenters:

o   Manually download the conference controls when promoted to co-presenter. (See description above)

o   Use the Safari or Firefox browser with the latest Java update installed (Java Version 7 update 13) to join your ReadyTalk meetings. 

Windows and Linux Co-Presenters:

o   Manually download the conference controls when promoted to co-presenter. (See description above)

o   Use the Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome browser with the latest Java update installed (Java Version 7 update 13) to join your ReadyTalk meetings.

For a helpful document that covers all your options please check out our java cheat sheet on the website. If you have any additional questions or concerns please contact ReadyTalk Customer Care at 800.843.9166 or support@readytalk.com.