Waiting game
Unlike new boots and panties, simple websites and old computers do not have to be thrown away once the shine has worn off. Just because you have a fast modem, it does not automatically mean that you will be able to download stuff from the web any faster.

A useful analogy is to think of the chain that brings information to you, and compare it to ordering a meal in a restaurant.

First step is to try to attract the waiter's attention (access the website). Second step is to wait for him to acknowledge you (the website responds).

Third, he takes your order (you specify a certain page you want). Fourth, the chef creates the dish (the page is assembled from HTML text, graphics, background "wallpaper", Javascript etc).

Fifth, the food is served (the components of the web page are sent over the internet). Sixth, the food is laid out on the table (the web page is assembled by your browser on your screen). Now substitute a waiter on roller skates for a fast modem.

What's the difference? Well, stages one, two and three are still the same - out of the waiter's hands (so to speak). Stages four and five are faster, and stage six is still the same (as it is the speed of the browser rendering that is key here).

A final thought: does a hungry man care if the plate of food is tastefully garnished so that it pleases the eye? No - at this stage his stomach is in control.
Micky Allen
fisi@salamander.co.uk

On the cards
Regarding Iain Noble's letter about fraudulent credit card use, I had a merchant account with an internet credit card processing company and was shocked to discover that it could charge back fraudulent card use to me personally a full six months after it authorised the transaction.

The company seemed to have made no effort to verify the cardholder's address (the card was registered in Australia, the customer gave a US address).

At least consumers are protected by law and operating procedures if they fall victim to card fraud - merchants have no protection whatsoever. Which may well explain why, when I bought a monitor over the net last week, the company insisted I fax them proof of my name and address before dispatching the goods.
Simon Briggs
simon@forward-internet.co.uk

Stat attack
Stat of the week on Microsoft's web browser domination, below the "Suspect Statistics" referred to by Neil McIntosh (Online, June 29), may be more suspect than you think if the data has been collected from websites.

I regularly use minority browsers - Fresco on my Acorn and Opera on my PC. Many websites identify your browser and refuse to work unless it is Netscape or Internet Explorer.

To overcome this, the latest version of Opera and most of the later Acorn browsers allow the user to set up "browser faking": my version of Opera can identify itself as Netscape or IE by setting the user preferences. Thus the major players may appear to be more popular than they actually are.
John Purser
john@jpurser.demon.co.uk

Pirates ahoy
I found Roy Emerson's remarks about "piracy" incredible (Feedback, June 29). At no time does the consumer own media - in reality we only own the right to enjoy it. Does Mr Emerson back up his hard drive or record from the TV? Then he, by his own standards, is a software pirate.

The whole argument about home recording harming the industry is a fallacy. Having spent some years in music retail, I concur that professional piracy is detrimental, but friends swapping LPs and CDs exposes people to new bands or styles of music.

Consumers owning multiple copies of a recording, for whatever reason, is just a fantasy of sales and marketing executives. How much do you think that it costs to remaster a "classic" analogue recording onto CD? How many musicians are involved? We would all be shocked at how little and how few. The real threat to the music industry is the domination of the supermarkets in the sales figures, skewing charts and ensuring that we get lots of safe and bland artists and compilations.

Keep taping CDs, keep swapping CDs and keep buying CDs. Most of all support your local independent retailer.
Paul Baldwin
citizen.zero@excite.com

I disagree with Mr Emerson on the issue of replacing vinyl with MP3. I do not endorse wholesale piracy, but "upgrading" format from vinyl/CD to MP3 should not be a problem.

The situation is most definitely not exactly parallel to Mr Emerson's vacuum cleaner analogy. The cost of a vacuum cleaner is mainly made of manufacturing costs, distribution costs and the margin of the retailer. The cost of a CD is made of more factors: recording costs, manufacturing costs, distribution costs, shops' margin and, of course, artists' royalty - effectively your payment to the artist for the right to listen to their work.

With MP3 however, only the artists' royalty remains in any serious quantity, as there is no manufacturing, no shop margin and distribution can be from a single file, recorded from an existing CD, at the recipient's cost.

When I buy a CD I pay for all of the above, fair enough. But by doing so I have bought the right to listen to the music, so why should I pay again to listen to the same music in a different format?
Antony Hawkins
a.d.hawkins@sheffield.ac.uk

As a musician I find Roy Emerson's attitude towards downloading music rather disconcerting. I am fully in support of music for everyone, irrespective of whether we are paid for it.

For far too many years musicians have been the pawns of the record industry fat cats. I will welcome the downfall of the current regime where record bosses with no musical creativity take a big cut from those that actually create the records.

MP3s can still be security keyed and so in effect the songs will always remain the property of the creator. The internet has opened up a vast market for individuals like myself and I am very grateful.
Andy Lucas
AndyRLucas@aol.com