• PC World
• »Consumer Advice

In your comparison of eBay and Yahoo for online auctions ("Best of the Web," August), I was appalled by your comment that "eBay's buyers and sellers are a mostly honorable lot"--without also saying as much for those who use Yahoo Auctions. This seems slanted. I, like many others, make a living selling on Yahoo Auctions. Yes, eBay has the reputation of being the biggest and best auction site, yet it has its problems also. I like Yahoo and will remain there, as will others who enjoy its ease and freedom.

Pandora Mckinnon, via the Internet

Comparing Yahoo Mail and Hotmail, you incorrectly state that Yahoo Mail does not scan e-mail attachments for viruses. In fact, it does. Instead of McAfee VirusScan (which Hotmail uses), it employs Norton AntiVirus.

Brent London, via the Internet

Editor's response: We were not denigrating users of Yahoo Auctions. There are risks with any auction site. For more on this subject, see "Going...Going...Gotcha!" Yahoo Mail added Norton AntiVirus after we went to press. --Harry McCracken

In Defense of Cable Modems

Your article "High-Speed Survival Guide" (August) was too one-sided in favoring DSL over cable modems. I tried for six months to get DSL, but our phone company could not say when it would be available. Time Warner's Road Runner service had a cable-modem installation technician at my house in less than a week. I have used Road Runner now for three months, and it has been very fast and reliable. Software engineers tell me they recommend fiber optic lines (which cable modems use) over copper wire (DSL). Copper wire is last year's technology. Fiber optic lines are the wave of the future, because they have almost infinite capacity.

Gene Townsend, San Antonio, Texas

An Alternative to Extended Warranties

I too am skeptical of extended warranties ( Consumer Watch, August). Recently I bought my first laptop. Before paying $300 up front for a three-year warranty extension with dubious coverage, I called my highly trusted insurance agent. My hunch paid off: For a paltry $50 per year, she offered coverage on my laptop with terms that far exceeded those of the extension, including theft, data recovery, virus repair, accessories, and software. Furthermore, I can pay year by year, reducing or dropping coverage as the laptop ages. Remember, most policies for homeowners and renters already cover computers to some extent.

Charlie Warfield, Jr., Naperville, Illinois

Microsoft Innovation

Right on, Stephen Manes ("Saluting 25 Years of Microsoft 'Innovation'," Full Disclosure, August)! I can remember the "good old days" when marketing a program that had known bugs was unthinkable and not tolerated. How did we allow ourselves to get so dependent on bloated, buggy software from Microsoft? I'm afraid some of the blame is ours for not demanding first-class performance and stability, inviting still poorer software.

Gene Schneider, via the Internet

Can Manes really believe the computer business and the use of personal computers would be anywhere near what it is today without Microsoft? If the company had not come into existence, PC World would be a small trade magazine and Manes would be attacking someone else.

Dick Schauer, via the Internet