 First of all, I just want to let you know your Editor's Page adds a human touch that, as far as I am concerned, makes Computing Japan more accessible to readers with less confidence in their computer skills, such as myself. I look forward to reading this every month. Secondly, I want to put in a good word for John Tyler. He not only enlightened readers about the problem with Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Open Transport 1.1 in his March column (I had been bombing for weeks, thinking it was a provider-related problem), but also took the time to explain to me, in Earthling terms, what to do to correct this problem immediately after I e-mailed him. (I mean immediately !) What great support. Susan M. Ando
Once again, you folks in mainland Japan forgot about the folks here on Okinawa in your "Spotlight on Apple" issue [February 1997]. NCR has an office here on Okinawa, they speak English, and will install anything on your Apple computer you take to them. There are also no less than three MACMasters stores in Naha, Okinawa. I have bought one computer from Zero One in Naha and another on base. When you write articles, remember there are probably more English speakers here on Okinawa than anywhere in Japan. I don't want to sound mean, but the Japanese always forget the Okinawans. Calvin Bowen
I am really surprised that you would print without comment an article about "Japan's plan to dominate the world" ["Japan's Successful High-Tech Industrial Policy," March, page 21]. This is the same kind of argument as people around the world have said about the US using its military power to control countries around the world. If the Japanese are so intent upon controlling the world, why have they failed so miserably in computing? Actually, the Japanese would be more justified in saying the US is intent upon controlling high technology. Witness the US government springing to Microsoft and other US software firms' assistance. Or the creation of the Internet by the US government, and then its privatization. This gave the US an incredible advantage and yielded companies such as Cisco, Netscape, and 3Com. Obviously a US plot to control the world!!! One ridiculous argument deserves another. The trouble is, from these kind of conspiracy theories we will never understand what Intel, Microsoft, etc. did right. Similarly, Louis Ross' arguments take us away from understanding what Japanese firms did right. We deserve a lot more than the warmed-over "Japan is plotting to take over the electronics world" scenario. Even if true, they have obviously failed. Martin Kenney
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