Letters
12
Tell us what’s on your mind
What’s the Issue...?
I recall you mentioning recently
a tool that merges PDFs quickly.
Care to jog my memory?
Mike WhitlockCA SAYS We think you mean the
QPDF tool in version 10.8 of PDF
(Issue 626, page 18).Can you please tell me when
you recommended the audio-
tweaking program MP3Gain (http://
mp3gain.sourceforge.net)?
Arthur HartCA SAYS We ’ ve
done so in several
issues, the most recent
being in a Workshop in Issue 570,
page 40.When did you last explain
how to sync bookmarks across
browsers?
Colin BentleyCA SAYS Robert Irvine did that in
Issue 624’s ‘Easy When You Know
How’ column, page 74.readers think. How can we get the
balance right between Windows 10 and 11?My PC can run Windows 11,
but I’ve not been offered it
I had to laugh when I read in Issue
629 (page 6) that Windows 11
growth has stalled. Well, Microsoft,
maybe you should roll out the upgrade to
those still waiting! I have a new-ish PC
and when Windows 11 was released I
used Microsoft’s Health Check app
(www.snipca.com/41722) and got a big
green tick with the message: ‘Great news
— your PC meets the minimum system
requirements for Windows 11. Specific
timing for when it will be offered can
vary as we get it ready for you.’
I waited and waited, but Microsoft still
hasn’t made it available for me to install.
I don’t see why I should force the upgrade
myself by downloading it as I’m happy
with Windows 10, but I will upgrade
when it’s offered.
Ricky CarterSwitch to streaming?
You must be joking!
You’ve got to be
joking with the
suggestion to ditch your
terrestrial or satellite cables
in favour of a streaming
service, especially Sky’s
crippled Glass service (Issue
628, page 50, pictured). Just
try to watch Talking Pictures
TV on Glass! Helpfully,
someone has made a list ofall the channels that are missing from the
service: http://www.snipca.com/41725.
While I use streaming services for
catch-up if a recording has failed or I
forgot to set it, most of my viewing is
done live or playing back recorded shows.
Because I use exclusively Freeview and
Freesat, I can zip through adverts on the
commercial channels in 30-second
jumps. Just try doing that with a
streaming service! Sky does let you
fast-forward through adverts, but not in
such a convenient manner.
I’ll stay with my system, thank you
very much. When the internet goes down,
I still have plenty to watch on my
hard drive!
Paul RobinsonScandalous and unfair that
Amazon refunds ebooks
Thank you for highlighting the
petition to get Amazon to abandon
its policy of issuing refunds for ebooks
up to 14 days after purchase (Issue 630,
page 9). I’ve always felt that this was a
scandalous policy.
To consider how unfair it is,
just imagine buying a book to
read from WHSmith at
Gatwick, reading it on your
sunlounger in Benidorm, then
returning it for a refund a week
later when you land at the
airport.
I guess you could make the
argument that an ebook can’t
be damaged like a paperback
can. If you get suncream on anWhy are you so obsessed
with Windows 11?
I’d like to ask
Computeractive
a question: why are
you so obsessed with
Windows 11? Every
other news story you
publish seems to be
about new tools added to it, and yet
interest in the operating system seems
lukewarm at best. It makes me wonder
whether you have a hidden agenda. Are
you in league with Microsoft to encourage
us to upgrade?
As you may have suspected, I’m still on
Windows 10, and intend to remain so
until it’s no longer supported. I’m still
interested in the changes Microsoft makes
to Windows 11, but I don’t want to be
bombarded with this information all the
time. Can we have more balance, please?
Surely the majority of readers haven’t
upgraded yet, so it makes sense for you
to concentrate on Windows 10.
Chris VenablesCA SAYS Chris makes some fair points,
and we’re happy to answer them. It’s true
that we’ve written a lot of news stories
about Windows 11 this year, but that’s
because there’s been much more to say
about that operating system than its
predecessor. Microsoft will continue to
support Windows 10 until October 2025,
but it’s unlikely to release many new
tools for the system in that time – and
that naturally gives us less to write about.
However, that doesn’t mean we’ll
ignore Windows 10, nor abandon its
users. We’ll continue to cover every
Feature update for the system, and let
you know when new versions are being
made available (see page 8 for instance).
Also, our Make Windows Better section
(page 46) will continue to contain tips for
Windows 10 until at least October 2025.
And when a new tool for Windows 11 can
be added to Windows 10, we’ll explain
how to do this – as you’ll see on page 38
with File Explorer tabs.
More generally, we’ll never advise users
to upgrade to an operating system just
because it’s new. We’ve criticised many
aspects of Windows 11, particularly its
strict hardware requirements, and the
lack of customisation options for the
taskbar. We’d love to know what other11 – 24 May 2022 • Issue 631?