Letters to PC World, November 2005

Internet Phone Services: Readers Sound Off

After reading your VoIP review ["Net Phones Grow Up," September], we decided to try VoIP again after having had call-quality problems with one company. My wife and I are both pleased with the call quality of your Best Bet, AT&T CallVantage. We experienced slow download and upload speeds; but after we called AT&T, it took just a few minutes to fix the settings in the router and reboot. I'm back up to 4 megabits download speed and 300 kilobits upload on my cable modem during calls.

John Varga, Dousman, Wisconsin

I was surprised at your critical evaluation of the Skype VoIP program. I have used Skype for six months now, have never lost a call, get clarity far beyond what I obtain on my landlines, and only rarely lose a word or two. I make lengthy international and interstate calls, both to Skype members (free) and to landline numbers (approximately 3 cents a minute). The people I talk to almost always comment on how clear the call is. In short, I have found the program to be excellent.

Tom Rowney, Corvallis, Oregon

Regarding problematic 911 service with VoIP: Living in southern Florida, we know that storms can cause frequent power, cable, and phone outages. Vonage has a feature that lets a user have calls transferred to an alternate number, such as a cell phone. Great idea.

Dave Greenbaum, via the Internet

Is Windows That Annoying?

I laughed when I saw the cover headline of the September issue about fixing Windows annoyances, because my first thought was that the issue was way too thin to accomplish that. Then I realized it said "biggest" annoyances.

Paul Miller, The Villages, Florida

It seems like you have a Windows annoyance article every few months. As a longtime Windows user, I, for one, do not find those annoyances very annoying. Ever since Windows XP, I have been one happy camper. How about an article on the benefits that Windows provides? Or at least stop bagging on Microsoft once in a while.

Catherine Mau, San Diego

Threat to Small ISPs

Regarding your article "Proposed DSL Rules Threaten Small ISPs" [News and Trends, September]: As a person who uses a smaller ISP and does not want to change (especially after a short time with one of the big guys), I would urge PC World to keep up your reporting on this issue. Specifically, how big a problem are the new rules going to be for the smaller ISPs? If it's really a threat, how can we preserve the choices we have now? Are there efforts to protect access to DSL lines that we can lend support to?

Carole McNall, Olean, New York

Recording Industry Driving Away Fans

I read your article titled "Copyright Crackdown" [News and Trends, September] with keen interest. I have been looking to buy an Apple iPod as an alternative to carrying all my music CDs with me in my car. However, after seeing where the record industry is going, I think I will just buy a satellite radio subscription and stop purchasing music CDs.

Leo Boeckl, via the Internet

I received the latest Dave Matthews CD as a present. Before opening the shrink-wrap, I saw the itty-bitty, teeny-tiny type explaining all the copy rules. I said to hell with it and took the CD back to the retailer (thank goodness my sister sent a gift receipt). I was not planning on copying and distributing, but I didn't want to accept their golden handcuffs.

Joe Matchette, Miami

NASA's Satellite Maps

I was disappointed that the article "Satellite Maps: The World on Your Desktop" [News and Trends, September] did not mention NASA World Wind. This is an open-source 3D globe with a large community of developers and volunteers. With a new version due out [Version 1.3.2 was released in mid-August.--Editors] and a rapidly expanding catalog of add-ons and plug-ins, as well as a wiki and a helpful forum for questions and problems, World Wind is quickly maturing and improving.

Joel Bradshaw, Chehalis, Washington

Long-Cable Solution for HD

Seán Captain's fine article "The Cable Game" [Digital World, September] clearly establishes that if your high-definition display is more than 12 feet from the source, copper cables will be trouble.

Like many home theater enthusiasts, I have a ceiling-mounted projector that is located about 30 feet from my HD cable box, well beyond the 12-foot limit. Solution: Instead of copper, I use fiber-optic cables to ensure accurate delivery of the gigabit HD content with zero loss of signal.

Bob Rapoport, St. Petersburg, Florida

Broadband Uploading

Stephen Manes's September Full Disclosure column ["Broadband Speed That'll Send You"] didn't mention the most compelling reason for having faster uplink speeds: telecommuting. VPN connections suffer from slow uplink speeds when your job requires--as mine does (I am a software developer)--the use of interactive server-bound tools. Working in this environment with a 384-kbps uplink is downright maddening.

Jay Winter, Poolesville, Maryland

Backup Drives--Reliable?

My 300GB external drive ran great for almost three months; then it died ["Big Drive Backup," September]. It seems that the USB 2.0 interface went to heaven. So what now--make a backup to DVD of the backup on the external hard drive?

Pete Matthies, via the Internet

Less on Gadgets, Please

I just finished reading the September issue and am a little annoyed. Someone needs to explain to me what hanging a high-definition TV on the wall [Gadget Freak] has to do with personal computers.

Also, I realize that perhaps most of your readers are interested in digital photography. But I read PC World to be informed about computers and computer-related topics. If I am looking for reviews of digital cameras, I will read one of the many magazines that specialize in that subject.

Steve Heinemann, Troy, Illinois

Macs? Not in PC World

I am mystified by the inclusion of "The Truth About Windows Alternatives" [September]. We've all known for ages that the Mac OS is more innovative and elegant than the Windows OS of the corresponding era, but we stick with Windows because it is far more popular, with many more applications developed for it.

Wallace Chinitz, via the Internet