Electronic Mailbox

I feel I must protest about the amount of 'knocking' copy that you carry.

In 'Brave new world of shifting shapes and flashing colours' (1 October), Richard Davy explored the world of Microsoft's Windows. There is nothing particularly new about either Windows in particular, or about graphical user interfaces generally. In neither case do users imagine themselves to be on the cutting edge of computer technology. But this is not good enough for your man Davy, who confesses to an almost perverse preference for the 'grey, predictable' world of monochrome Dos. Could it be a case of grey predictable people here?

So why do you do it? If I'm reading your motoring column I don't expect to come across articles which road-test the latest Japanese product and then ask 'what's all this fuss about electric starter motors?'

John Mottram

(compuserve 72773, 3461)

I found the article by Richard Davy (1 October) very refreshing. I make an attempt to keep up with the latest in the computer world, but find the range of products bewildering. I keep asking myself, do I need them all? So to find someone else who is at home in 'the grey, predictable world of monochrome Dos' is some comfort.

I use workstations (HP 9000s) and here the choice is between a graphical interface and Unix. I much much prefer Unix, and would argue that, once the initial trepidation is overcome, it is easier to use.

Martyn Winn

Institut fuer Theoretische

Physik, Technische

Universitaet Wien.

winn@tph10. tuwien. ac. at