Letters To The Editor

Macs Aren't Immune

Kathy Wentz has an interesting idea, but it's a bit misguided ("More Trouble For PCs," May 17, 2004). It isn't the platform that's the problem but the operating system. Yes, buying a Mac will cut down on the amount of viral and worm attacks but only for a while.

Sasser's target isn't the PC but the prevalent operating system. Don't be fooled into thinking the Mac operating system is immune. Its base has virus and worm problems as well.

Stephen Bobic
Duffield. Va.

Masking Unmasked

I've heard a lot about spamming but not a lot about "masking," which is a big issue, too ("The Cost Of Spam," May 17, 2004). Each day, I receive E-mails saying that our company tried to send a virus or spam. In fact, virus and spam writers are using real E-mail addresses to mask their own identities. Thanks to them, my company's reputation may be in danger now.

The field "From" in an E-mail is free; you can put whatever you want. We have to reinvent how E-mail is handled.

Julien Thomas De Boer
IT Manager, HEC, Farmingdale, N.Y.

Spell It Out

It's easy for columnist Bradford Brown to blithely ask legislators to "balance state budgets by simply spending less" ("Don't Stifle Internet Access With Taxes," May 10, 2004). Brown might regain credibility by indicating which programs he believes should be cut.

Ken Field
President, Conical Music, Cambridge, Mass.