"The Name Game" (April) perpetuates one of the great myths of the Internet:
that people are making money buying and selling domain names. The number of marketable names is
excruciatingly small. The vast majority of names, even good ones, will expire without a single offer
from a prospective buyer. For most of us, it makes sense to register only the domain names we plan to actually use.
—Neil Weicher
Read the article online - The Name Game
I really enjoyed Taylor & Jerome's column about online bill payments ("Pay Up," April).
I already pay my American Express, Discover, and Visa bills online. So far I haven't encountered any problems.
I don't need stamps, all of my transactions have a confirmation number, and most take just two days.
—Jim Webster
Read the article online - Pay Up
Thank you for your column on Web security ("Protect Yourself," April, page 35). Unfortunately,
this problem will increase. More and more, local cable systems will want to access customers' personal
information to prevent so-called illegal activities. It's the same old warning: Customer beware.
—Paul Posey
Read the article online - Protect Yourself
| Killing Flies with Hammers
|
I agree 1,000 percent with Paul Somerson's critique of government interference in the high-tech economy
("Hands Off," March). I sometimes wonder if government agencies see the Internet as merely an opportunity to
intrude into our lives even further. I've heard about cases where the ability to invade privacy helps law
enforcement catch a crook or a pervert, but where are the statistics on how many innocent people have their
privacy violated along the way?
—Stanley Clare
Read the article online - Hands Off
| If These Walls Could Watch
|
It's about time someone took the bull by the horns and put the privacy issue in the limelight
("We Know Where You Live," March). I found the article very informative, and I keep it by my home
PC for easy reference.
—Willie Dayton
You write in "We Know Where You Live" that "under federal law, you cannot be compelled to
give up your Social Security number to get a driver's license." That is not true; New York requires
each driver's license applicant to submit a Social Security number.
—Phil Polizotto
Editor's reply: That New York demands your Social Security number does not mean its
demand is legal under federal law. In fact, the Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits any state or local
government agency from demanding your Social Security number, for a driver's license or any other purpose. —E.B.
Read the article online -
We Know Where You Live
Wireless networking with IEEE 802.11b-standard hardware is far from being only for "larger enterprises"
("Wireless Revolution," April). I wanted to use my broadband Internet connection on my notebook
without a speed penalty. The so-called 2Mbps wireless solution dwindled to around 400Kbps at any distance,
so I purchased two IEEE 802.11b PC Card network adapters. Now I have an average 3.2Mbps throughput between
my notebook and desktop and, more importantly, the freedom of wireless broadband Internet access from anywhere
within my house.
—Scott Ayres
Read the article online - Wireless Revolution
The "problem" is not how to force companies to collect sales taxes on Web site transactions
("Uncle Sam's Greedy Hand," February). When a company is dealing with 50 different state tax departments,
plus county and school board tax departments, plus city tax departments, it really becomes a headache, not
to mention very expensive. If we institute e-commerce sales taxes, we'll need to overhaul the current tax laws;
otherwise, small companies will not be able to afford the expense of obeying so many different tax regulations.
—Buddy Hatcher
Read the article online -
Uncle Sam's Greedy Hand
In "Answers" (April), Ed Bott writes, "The Web is crowded with contact-management programs,
but none integrates well with Outlook Express." For months now, I've been synchronizing my Outlook
Express address book with my Hotmail account. It's been a tad buggy, but overall it's great. It is
infinitely superior to all the other work-arounds Bott suggested in his article.
—Charles Novins
Editor's reply: This new feature—introduced in Outlook Express 5.01 in January—does
indeed do the job. The trick is to open the Windows Address Book and from its menu choose Tools, Synchronize
(not from the Tools menu in Outlook Express). The synchronization process is quick and works both ways. Thanks
for the tip! —E.B.
Read the article online - Answers: April 2000
In "Wireless Revolution" (April), you say that the Apple AirPort takes 30 minutes to set up.
Not in my experience. Installing the AirPort onto an iBook took me only 2 minutes, and when I restarted,
the software configured the computer automatically. I have also run two base stations simultaneously with no problem.
—Dale Carlson
"First One Wins" (April) states, "The company that corrals the biggest corner of the market first will have
the advantage." I disagree.
What it really boils down to is this: No one cares whether it's open or proprietary, and no one cares
whether it was the first on the market. As a consumer, I care for just two things: quality and price.
If it's cheaper and the quality is about equal, I'll buy it; I don't care whether the other technology is slightly
"superior." So as long as I can't tell the difference in quality, I don't care. It's all about consumers and how
they like to spend their money.
—Mushiq Hasan
Read the article online - First One Wins
The Comet Cursors browser add-in ("We Know Where You Live") doesn't use a cookie or serial number.
It uses a global unique identifier. The Web address for Ricoh's eCabinet ("Buried Alive!", March)
is www.rsv.ricoh.com.
