Computeractive – 6 January 2016

and without the kind of services that
town dwellers have, regardless of the fact
that our council tax subsidises the
amenities that he enjoys.
To expect the ISPs to provide a
reasonable broadband service is not, in
my opinion, asking for much. I currently
pay BT (we don’t have cable out here, just
overhead wires) for services advertised as
“up to 16Mbps”, but rarely get above
5Mbps, so it looks to me like I am
subsidising his fast broadband as well.
Rob Wilson
No-brainer? Upgrading
to Windows 10 could be
‘brainless’
John Lattimore is in danger of
insulting a lot of people by saying
that upgrading to Windows 10 is a “no
brainer” (Letters, Issue 464). I’ve used
Windows 7 for about five years now, and it
feels as familiar to me as my own street
(where I’ve lived for 40 years). Why, then,
should I throw away all that familiarity just
because Microsoft wants me to?
Switching to a new operating system
isn’t the kind of decision that can be
described as glibly as Mr Lattimore did.
For something to truly be a ‘no brainer’ it
must require an action so obviously
benefi cial that refusing to do it would be
disastrous. I would like to inform Mr
Lattimore that I’ve been using Windows 7
non-disastrously every day since
Windows 10 launched. In my opinion,
leaping aboard the latest Windows
version without careful planning is
brainless, not a no-brainer.
James P Ranson
Don’t be scared to sue Apple
Th ree cheers for Deric White
(‘Pensioner sues Apple - and wins!’,
News, Issue 465). Apple may say that its
stores are meant to look friendly, but I
think they are designed to intimidate you.
Th e impression is that the people working
there know everything, and you know
nothing. It’s tempting to think that a
technical problem isn’t the result of
Apple’s incompetence, but your own. I’m
grateful to Mr White for showing that it’s
not necessarily so. Let’s hope more people
stand up to these arrogant companies.
Gareth Jones
Are BT call centres in
Outer Mongolia?
I’ve been a customer with BT for
several years now and had good
STAR LETTER
Why should my 86-year-old mother
use the web just to access the NHS?
I read with some
alarm the
recommendations of
Martha Lane Fox in Issue
465 (News, ‘Want to see
your GP? Th en book an
appointment online’). I’ve
heard her talk in interviews
before, and found her
obsession with the internet
borderline tyrannical. I get
it that she wants as many
people as possible to use
the web, but does she really
need to go on about it so much? I know
she means well, but not everyone loves
our ‘exciting’ new digital future as
much as she does.
Th e Government is partly to blame.
Why did it need to commission a report
- spending loads of money presumably
- to ask whether a ‘campaigner for
greater internet access’ thinks we
should encourage more people to go
online? Fox was hardly likely to say no.
My biggest concern is her proposal
that we use health apps to ‘selfmonitor’
our condition. Is this really
about moving the NHS into the digital
age, or about saving money? I’m no
medical expert, and I don’t trust the
motives of health apps, so I’d rather
times - and not so good times - with them.
I suddenly found I was being charged for
landline calls when for years I had free
calls in my package. So I rang them and
tried to work it out with the young lady.
She was very nice and tried to help me,
but I must have spent half the time asking
her to repeat what she had just said. We
speak to a real human being
(remember those?) about my painful
hip, or persistent cough.
My fear is that in five years, you
won’t be able to use the full scope of
NHS services without going online. I’m
sure the Government would see this as
progress, but what about those who
just don’t want to use the internet?
What about my 86-year-old mother,
who needs regular GP visits, but has
never so much as clicked a mouse in
her life? Why should she be forced to
learn PC skills just so she can access
health services that she has a right to?
Lots of questions there. I’m not sure I
would like the answers.
Stephen Barrett
The Star Letter writer wins a Computeractive mug!
fi nished and to be quite honest I was
just as bewildered as before I rang.
In many ways I felt sorry for the girl
as she can’t help her accent, which in
other circumstances I’d fi nd charming.
But BT should get clear-speaking
operators. Where are their call centres?
Outer Mongolia?
So I thought I’d send an email to BT
and hopefully get a better understanding
of our conversation. But you can’t send
an email. If you have a problem they
suggest going to their question and
answer page. Can you ever fi nd an
answer that suits your problem? Never.
So they suggest I should call them
instead. It’s just a never-ending carousel.
Roger Th ompson
6 – 19 January 2016 11