Media bashing
Am I the only one fed up with the seemingly continual Microsoft bashing? According to Online, October 11, its latest crime is that it is "incorporating its Windows Media software into Windows, whilst not offering Real's". How dare they write software and include it in their own product? What's more, if anyone wants to use different software they can't - unless they "download and install it themselves" - something made pretty straightforward using Internet Explorer.
Microsoft may well have questionable business practices, but releasing a product containing their own software in preference to someone elses doesn't seem a crime.
Ed Harrison
eph@dataconnection.com
Real annoying
You mention in your article on the advent of Windows XP (Online, October 11) how increased integration of Windows Media Player into the operating system may be seen as anti-competitive. This isn't necessarily true.
The web is full of streaming audio and video, and most is in RealNetwork's RealMedia format. Although Windows Media Player can play early RealMedia files (version 5 or less), any user wanting to listen to RealMedia G2 files must download RealPlayer. RealNetworks is, however, alienating its users, in particular with RealPlayer 8. The software supposedly contains "spyware" - components that send information back to the program's developers about usage. The free version also has constant reminders about the more feature-rich RealPlayer Plus, costing $30, which is annoying. Windows Media Player has neither.
However, ultimately the decision over whether to use RealMedia or Microsoft's Windows Media format is up to content providers. Do they offer RealMedia, a format that works on almost any OS (Linux, Mac OS, BeOS, QNX and others) but has privacy implications, or Windows Media, which has no privacy implications but works on fewer platforms?
Neil Turner
totalxs@hotmail.com
Office hype
Thanks for the many pages of hype about Microsoft's XP. I seem to remember that the promises about reductions in the "dreaded blue screen" were promised with Windows 95, 98, 2000 and Me. My 'umble experience is that they have increased with each. I have been using Office XP for the past few weeks. I paid a couple of hundred pounds for it to be shipped with a new Dell. It says I can install it 50 times and activate it online or by telephone. I have three computers, of which two are internet-capable. I attempted to put it on to the third one and was successful until the end when it insisted that I "reconnect to the network". There was no other option. Well, thanks everyone. Do I really have to buy three copies? And how do I install it on a non-networked, non-modem computer? When I buy a book, I can read it where I like. Jan Rockett
jpr@rockett-associates.com
Check mate
In the Mike Anderiesz review of Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X (Online, October 11) he noted that: "Unlike the Dreamcast version, here the backgrounds are fully rendered in polygons rather than flat textures." On June 1, 2000 we saw that the Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Dreamcast) review said "Gone are the rendered backdrops of yore, replaced by gorgeous real-time locales where you can freely interact with the surroundings." Maybe Anderiesz could check the archives (or even play the previously reviewed game) in future. David Watson
dwatspm@surby.demon.co.uk
Pic credibility
With regard to Mike Anderiesz's guide to creating a fake online id (Online, October 11) for chat rooms, it is worth pointing out that if using a fake picture, you should change the JPeg file name to match the fictitious handle or "real name" you have posted on your profile. Many surfers check the "properties" of any image, revealing its file name. "Mepic" is always a good one as this adds credibility if you pass it off as "really you". Also, if you find a handful of someone's holiday snaps online you can create a fake briefcase of images which should convince even the most suspicous chat partner that it is you. In reverse, if using a real picture but don't want to reveal your genuine name, make sure it isn't called Janepic1 when you've posted a "real name" like "Alexis" or "Sexy Suzy" on your profile. Richard Bond
left-the-building@elvis.com
MS maths fails
"90% of the world's computers run on MS operating systems" (Online, October 11). No, they don't. Nor do they run Linux. Most of the world's computers are neither mainframes, minis, desktops nor anything remotely resembling such a thing. They are embedded systems. If you don't believe me, count the world's desktop PCs and then add up vehicles and video recorders for a start. With between two and five embedded systems per vehicle or recorder, you'll soon see how the arithmetic works.
Bob Margolis
bob.margolis@ntlworld.com
