Letters

The Love Bug

First Melissa, now the Love Bug, and God only knows what's next [TECHNOLOGY, May 15]. It's high time the government did something to stop the spread of computer violence! All computer users should be registered with the Federal Government, and there should be a mandatory one-week waiting period for computer sales nationwide. If Congress does not have the will to act on this, the Federal and state governments should file lawsuits against computer manufacturers to recoup the damages caused by these viruses. We must stop the threat posed by easy access to computers. ANDREW L. LEVY Los Angeles

While we note the dangerous fragility of our hasty creations, we race blindly ahead. Too bad our technological hubris didn't sink with the Titanic. PATRICK DUBOIS London, Canada

The medium may be new, but human nature hasn't changed: whatever firewalls and antidotes the virus hunters come up with, virus writers will always find a way around them. As veteran hacker Emmanuel Goldstein put it, "If your system can be knocked out, assume it will be." You journalists need to read a little more carefully. He said if it "can" be knocked out. It is feasible to engineer systems that are exceedingly difficult to knock out without incurring significant costs. The Love Bug exploits a system that was designed to encourage promiscuous behavior. Windows is a code-running slut, a code Casanova. JOHN KAWAKAMI Los Angeles

Cyberhackers, like the creators of the Love Bug virus, have emerged as the No. 1 threat to world security. Whether driven by greed, jealousy, pleasure or the intellectual challenge, they--no matter where they strike from--have the means to wreak havoc on even the most secure computer systems in the world. What the world needs is tough laws to combat cybercrime and an international task force to monitor and apprehend cyberhackers. Computer systems' security should also be tightened so that cyberhackers won't succeed. JIM VICTA HIPOLITO Kawit, the Philippines

Upon hearing about the love bug virus, I said to myself, "What a jerk that hacker must be." But to my surprise, my perspective changed when I learned that the creators of the virus were Filipino--it gave many Filipinos like me a morale boost. Contrary to the West's view of the Philippines as "left behind" when it comes to technology, these Filipino hackers turned the tables in a radical way and taught the cyberworld a lesson: expect more bugs to come. JOSE ANTONIO D. GONCERO JR. Fairview, the Philippines

Why on earth do you encourage these ego-ridden virus hackers by giving them your cover? You have played right into their hands. DANIEL A. JENKINS Louisville, Ky.

There was a way to avoid the bug: by using a computer running a Linux or Apple operating system. PATRICK GUINNESS Naas, Ireland

Punishment for Bill

Here's a good way to punish Bill Gates without resorting to the breakup of his baby [NATION, May 8]. Put him in front of a computer and have him put a 57-page document in the proper format using Microsoft Word. That'll teach him. PHYLLIS HIRSHORN New York City

Microsoft Alternatives

I would like to believe a computer software company can thrive by providing the "innovative, user-friendly technologies" that Bill Gates claims are responsible for the popularity of Windows [TECHNOLOGY, May 15]. Unfortunately Microsoft products prove that this is not the case. People who feel that Windows or the Office suite qualifies for this kind of acclaim have not had the opportunity to use the superior alternatives that have been all but squeezed out by the "critical mass" of the Windows product. The reality, for all of Bill's bleating, is that it is difficult for people to choose or use a non-Microsoft product--not because Microsoft products are the best, but simply because of their ubiquity. ANDY MCMULLON Lincoln, England

Bill Gates says that Microsoft would not have been able to create Windows if it hadn't been able to make Office. He's absolutely right. Without bundling Windows with an applications suite, Microsoft would never have been able to sell such an unstable and unintuitive system. The only Microsoft innovations that I am aware of are "bloatware." When I want a user-friendly interface, I use a Mac; when I want a stable, flexible system with enormous power, I use Linux; and when I want to be reminded of just how good these other two systems are, I boot up my Windows machine. TIMO HANNAY Tokyo

I do not understand why the government is trying to take Bill Gates' rights away. He has the right to protect his ideas from the competition. There is a danger in having a monopoly in this business, but it is unfair to split up Microsoft. Just because there is competition does not mean that you give away the formula for your success. MICHAEL SCHMID Berlin

Most people can't understand the insidiousness of Microsoft's "embrace, extend and extinguish" policy when applied to real innovations like Sun's Java, but every mouse clicker has tried to zap the Office Assistant in the Office suite. Such "functionality" is what makes Microsoftware hog all your hard-disk space, so that you need a new PC every six months. The one-size-fits-all approach is like making a car that is also a boat and that rides like a helicopter. Trying to fly will result in short hops and frequent crashes! Microsoft is the big bully in the playground kicking over everybody else's board games. HENRY ISI ODIASE London

The Value of Tony

Your story about the Gore campaign's chairman, Tony Coelho, "The Trouble with Tony" [NATION, May 15], did not accurately reflect the value he has afforded the Vice President and the campaign. It also painted a misleading picture of his relationship with all of us at the D.N.C. As I painstakingly reported to one of your writers, we believe Tony is a tremendous asset to our joint goal of making the best Vice President in America's history our next President. Tony's no-nonsense approach has helped focus and motivate us to achieve our goals. The troops here at the D.N.C. have a solid working relationship with and enormous respect for Tony. EDWARD G. RENDELL General Chairman Democratic National Committee Washington

Better Be a Cruciverbalist

Your article on ways people can decrease their risk of Alzheimer's disease recommends "brain gymnastics" [PERSONAL TIME, YOUR HEALTH, May 15] but omits mention of crossword puzzles, like the one you featured in the same issue. TIME's own story "Elixirs for Your Memory" [SCIENCE, Sept. 13, 1999] notes the connection researchers have made between solving crosswords and warding off the onset of Alzheimer's. STANLEY A. KURZBAN Chappaqua, N.Y.

Moms and Guns

While my heart goes out to those mothers whose children were killed through the misuse of guns [NATION, May 15], to simply blame the gun is a cop-out. Few parents take the time to explain the seriousness of a gun. When I was young, my father took me to a target range and under close supervision allowed me to fire a gun. That loud bang, the "kick" of the gun and the fact that I couldn't even hit the target taught me a more valuable lesson--respect. RICHARD L. BURT DeBary, Fla.

Since there is no logical connection between their objective (reducing gun-related violence) and the "gun control" measures they demand, the marching moms cannot make a coherent argument to support their agenda. They must appeal to emotion rather than reason. PHIL EDMUNDS Boalsburg, Pa.

The Founding Fathers gave the militia, not the individual, the right to bear arms. Moms marching against gun violence are to be applauded for standing up against the all-powerful gun lobby. JONATHAN TAN San Francisco

Tell It Like It Is

In writing of model Lauren Bush "She's only 15. O.K., now you can hate her" [PEOPLE, May 15], TIME writer Ellin Martens makes the same mistake that the fashion magazines do. Why would readers base how they look or what they buy on a teenager? I am a 48-year-old, wealthy, attractive, professional woman. I spend thousands of dollars a year on clothing. Stop pushing a pro-youth image for the American woman. KATHRYN RUSSELL New York City

The Bush Bent

How I wish we could keep George W. doing what he knows and loves best [NATION, May 15]: baseball. CAROLE HARE North Fort Myers, Fla.