Power prowl
Re: Me and my net stalker, (Online, May 9), you provided some useful information that will help people have a look at their email headers. But for real power-tracing for internet information, direct your readers to www.samspade.org. Tom Carroll
nothoover@yahoo.com
All stalk
I am amazed that after all that effort, Gobion Rowlands did not press charges. I think it likely that the Hammersmith and Fulham police regarded the episode as a waste of police time. Perhaps like the perpetrator, he really regarded it all as just a game? B Fletcher
(address supplied)
Hide and peek
It's ironic that you used a photo of an internet cafe to illustrate your piece on net stalking, without once referring to them in the piece. All a stalker needs to do is to send his abusive emails from a cybercafe and his anonymity is guaranteed. Richard Rees Jones
richard.rees-jones@ntlworld.com
Linux legacy
It is good to see that Online is beginning to take the Linux phenomenon more seriously (May the source be with you, May 9), though the article was misleading in some respects.
It said that "Windows is better at... protecting the user who accidentally presses the wrong button and deletes crucial files". Actually, this is an area where Linux wins hands down. Its system of file permissions means that when you are logged in as a normal user, you can't damage the system files. More profoundly, it helps protect against viruses and Trojan horses: under Linux, they simply don't have permission to run in a way that damages the system.
Another advantage is the variety of desktops and window managers available. Under Windows you only have the one. Under Linux there are several that are easy to use such as KDE, Gnome, Xfce, fvwm. If one breaks, you simply use another.
Finally, the article tested Red Hat, but there are several leading distributions (SuSE, Mandrake, Caldera and Debian to name the most common). Most of the time they do a perfect job at configuring your hardware and they usually come with support.
Craig Nelson
craig.nelson3@ntlworld.com
Clean Window
Manek Dubash is quite correct that under Linux, there are a multiplicity of applications for almost any task - though there are probably more similar applications in the Windows world, if only because more people write code for Windows.
What he misses, though, is a fundamental reason why Linux is still not ready for most people to use on a desktop: data compatibility. The open source philosophy applies equally to data as code - most Linux applications import and export data in well-defined public formats, from ASCII text to XML.
Until casual Linux users can easily exchange data with Windows users, there will be no general acceptance of Linux on the desktop. b Neil Barnes b nailed_barnacle@hotmail.com
Domain rules
b The letter from Ellen Mizzell (Feedback, May 9) is the first I've heard of Nominet's proposal to blow a hole in my carefully constructed internet security. It is the height of irresponsibility to publish private addresses for any burglar or teenage mischief-maker to see: and their helpful suggestion of using a PO box adds £52 a year to the cost of owning a domain (and still gives away your geographical location). They are proposing to implement this next year. I hope any domain owners who, like myself, value their privacy will make their feelings clear. Roger Wilmut
roger@wilmut.co.uk
Price isn't right
Since broadband and ISDN use a single wire to connect to the telephone exchange and thereafter all traffic is digital, it seems hard to justify the expense of ISDN. Why is there no option to use either 64k or 128k ISDN for a price comparable to the current broadband offerings? Is BT simply penalising those who cannot get broadband? Isn't this the same kind of scam that banks and building societies tried on when they reduced interest rates on existing accounts while advertising high rates on new accounts? Ian Cuthbertson
cuthbertsons@bigfoot.com
Fine San Fran
I read with disgust that the City of San Francisco charges a "convenience fee" for paying parking tickets online because services or staff numbers can't be cut (Second sight, May 2). My work is very much involved with automation and IT. However, it does not automatically mean fewer staff and lower cost. The benefit is from higher productivity and uniformity of the process. As we have all realised, a paperless office is a long way off. Lawrence Lau
lawrence@slau.co.uk
