Readers’ comments
Your views and feedback from email and the web
Are the numeric keypad’s days numbered?
I read your product reviews in every issue and notice that all of the laptops you recommend seem to be devoid of a numeric keypad. I rely on the one on the HP ProBook 450 G1, which I’ve used for nearly five years, and when the time comes to replace it a numeric keypad will be at the top of my requirements list. Matthew Marven
PC Pro editor-in-chief Tim Danton
replies: Numeric keypads appear to be a dying breed where laptops are concerned, as manufacturers concentrate on portability, even for corporate customers. Indeed, I can’t recall a new laptop that includes one (other than gaming laptops). But there is hope: take a look at our roundup from IFA on p12 to see Asus’ innovative solution, where it turns the touchpad into a second screen.
Self-patching routers
It just so happened that you tested 13 routers in PC Pro ( see issue 288, p76) in the very same issue in which Davey Winder lamented “bad router hygiene” ( see issue 288, p118). In his column, he noted that 72% of those contacted by researchers from Avast hadn’t ever updated the firmware on their routers.
Sadly, we live in a world in which routers are increasingly coming under attack, because hackers know that even when their vulnerabilities are revealed, the majority of them will remain unpatched. It was, therefore, disappointing that the summary table comparing the features of the 13 tested routers, some of which cost over £200, didn’t include details whether or not any of them could auto-update their
firmware. I’m guessing that none of them had that feature, which is perhaps a sad reflection of the value we consumers give to convenience (yippee, it has a smartphone app!) over the less exciting topic of security. Robert Coleman
Chrome strikes gold
I enjoyed Nicole Kobie’s article about moving over to Chrome OS ( see issue 287, p25), as well as the increasing number of letters you publish from fellow readers complaining about Windows updates and the like. I’ve instigated Chromebooks where I work, initially as a tactical solution for a small number of users who needed something cheap and simple for home working. This tactical deployment has grown, both in the number of users
and in the range of scenarios in which they’re being used.
There are a few reasons for this, starting with the fact that our users like their Chromebooks. They’re simple, offer great battery life, perform well and update in seconds. The organisation likes them as they offer great value, are secure, have no “build” and require no local support. We have grown from an initial rollout of 300 devices to more than 2,000 and I can manage them all remotely, via the cloud – and make changes to the entire estate in seconds no matter where the devices happen to be.
I came from a Windows background where creating builds, deploying updates and making changes required many people, took a long time and often delayed the business in bringing its products to market. I’ve been hugely impressed by the Chrome OS experience.
As organisations move towards a fully cloud ecosystem and looking at how huge Chrome OS is in the US education system, I do wonder whether Microsoft is on the cusp of once again not responding quickly enough to change. Chrome OS isn’t perfect and can’t yet replace every use-case that Windows or Mac users currently have. But that’s becoming less and less true with every passing month – and for anyone frustrated by yet another Windows Update or strange compatibility issue, I would heartily recommend trying a Chromebook for their bread and
butter tasks. I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised. Name supplied, but withheld on request
A point about fingers
In your article “The A-Z of security threats 2018” ( see issue 289, p102), David Emm, principle security researcher at Kaspersky Lab is quoted as saying “If I choose a poor password and it’s compromised, I can change it; if my fingerprint data is compromised, there’s nothing I can do about it”. Well, nothing, apart from using another finger that is. Surely Mr Emm knows that the vast majority of people have ten fingers ? Unless, of course, you have registered all ten fingers, which is unlikely. Adrian Mugridge
Ohm no!
I’m prompted to wonder, after reading Jon Honeyball’s column ( see issue 288, p130), whether he was merely checking that his readers were actively thinking about his comments when he said “Higher voltage tends to lead to higher power dissipation (V=IR for those who remember schoolbook physics)”, or whether he was subtly proving he’s human like the rest of us with an occasional slip.
Jon is correct with the first statement when taken individually, and I’m sure Jon knows full well that Power = Volts x Current or P=VI (or W=VA). The equation in brackets for Ohm’s law is also correct when stated on its own, but I’m sure Jon will agree that the equation in brackets is not derived from the first statement and not the same as the first statement. Barry Sunley
I do wonder whether Microsoft is on the cusp of once again not responding quickly enough to change
Contributing editor Jon Honeyball
replies: Mea culpa! You’re quite right, of course, and clearly I should have consulted my old Horowitz & Hill. Mind you, if we say that R is constant – which it will be, near as dammit – then I hope it’s obvious what I was driving at!
CORRECTION In our review of the new 15in MacBook Pro ( see issue 288, p48), we stated that it was available with a four-core processor, but Apple only supplies it with six-core processors. Our apologies for the error.