Comp-USA Woes, Continued
I noticed H. R. Leavy’s comments regarding unsatisfactory service at Comp-USA. I can only support that position. I got a similar runaround with a printer under extended warranty. Their warranties are worthless, their service is nil. They do little to take care of the customer. My policy is to never go to their store not even for the rebates.
–S. M. Doubrava, via e-mail
Homestead Revisited
Author Ellen Ullman and The Investor Connection may want to rethink their enthusiasm for Homestead.com. It looked like a great idea to me as well, until I checked the fine print in their agreement, which says that anything posted on Homestead becomes their property, and they can do with it as they will, without necessarily requesting your permission.
In other words, the copyright to anything you create on their Web page service belongs to them.
For me, that’s way too high a price to pay for a “free” Web page service.
–Gary Ludwick, via e-mail
Franco-File
Since we had to replace our old mechanical Pitney Bowes postage meter a couple of months ago, we spent some time researching the alternatives. The comparisons in your article “Go Postal” in the January 2000 issue would have been handy.
The meter we chose wasn’t covered in your article, but after reading about the competition, I’m sure we made the best choice. Our Francotyp-Postalia T-1000 makes the best impressions I’ve seen. The proprietary ribbons are good for about 1500 impressions, so it’s cheap to operate. Leasing costs are competitive. You can add postage with a single automatic call. The meter is relatively fast and easy to operate. A brief step-by-step guide to loading postage was included to make it easy to start using it right away.
We hope you’ll include Francotyp-Postalia the next time you do a comparison. In this case we think you missed the best choice.
–Mike Berger, via e-mail
Of Wired or Wireless . . .
You asked for comments on the new format, and I was very impressed with two of the December articles in particular. I really enjoyed the article pertaining to the 100 most-wired businesses in North America [“Connected Inc.”].
The article regarding wireless communications was very informative, and enforced my choice of the one rate program. I do a great deal of traveling and find that the AT&T One Rate Plan really saves me money. Keep the excellent articles coming.
–Frank Garland, via e-mail
Missing Mac
I just went through the September issue of your magazine and was disappointed that there was very little information on Macintosh software, or hardware, etc. The name you have chosen for your magazine is not accurate, it should be “Selected Small Business Computing.”
Small business owners, especially in the creative world, are just as likely to own a Macintosh computer, especially if they refuse to flounder in the dark world of lies and misinformation coming from the IBM/Clone powers. These powers gladly copy the Macintosh and its innovative technologies, yet condemn it as a toy with no available software or multi-processing capabilities.
As a writer, publisher, poet, and songwriter, I insist on using the best tools of the trade. I’ve tried IBM and hated it. I even tried the Atari ST system of the late ’80s and early ’90s. I settled with the Macintosh, because it was the only computer available that let me create without having to manipulate the computer and obey its ancient rules.
As far as software, the big Macintoshes of the last five years can (with Softwindows or Virtual PC) run virtually all software made for Windows and for Mac. It’s the most practical computer in existence.
And yet publications like yours continue to ignore the most innovative and powerful computer today. Here’s hoping, at least in your magazine’s case, this is corrected.
–Lewis Jenkins, via e-mail
