Sun has pushed out a major update to its Java software package that features scores of bug fixes, including a number of security updates.

Java 6 Update 4 includes a hefty 370 bug fixes (as explained here). Most of these are minor tweaks to improve performance or application glitches, but some are more notable as they address security flaws. The latest Java SE (Standard Edition) Runtime Environment 6 Update 4 package weighs in at 13.05MB, or 15MB for an offline installation, and is available here.

With 5.0 Update 6 and later installed on the Windows platform, all applets are executed with the latest version of Java environment. So users who upgrade from more recent versions have no reason to delete older versions from their systems other than for general housekeeping reasons. ®

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