Dear all and especially those who censored me privately,
 
Sorry but I only was sarcastic about Ross' computer not about Ross himself.
I myself am a computer systems engineer and I haven't found any brand/type
of computer which is flawless. So being sarcastic/ironic about them is
between systems engineers a common sport. And according to reading some mail
on the list it was taken as such (eh, Patrice? By the way I've got a BSc in
mathematics so Alpha-boy could better be replaced with Beta-boy or nerd).
I should have realized however that my public in this case doesn't consist
(entirely) of systems engineers. So herewith my apologies.
 
There is however one remark I want to make about Ross' comments about using
only e-mail in plaintext format. There are many email-clients (email
programs which house on a pc/mac/linux/hp/sun with you at home) which
perfectly support html content. And html content can really give added value
to your mail.
For example having scientific names in italics, or using symbols etc...
 
So I would like to recommend contrary to Ross: In my view people can use
html content unless there are many list-members more who have email-programs
which don't support it.
 
In that case those hurt by this could contact the maker of their
email-program because every (still extant) emailsoftwaremaker (nice word for
Scrabble?)
I know of has a release of his/her program which supports html content.
Most of these are free, so those involved could upgrade their old releases
to new ones which support html content. Upgrading to a recent (flawless, eh
Microsoft?) release is never a bad thing to do because you're then current
with the latest developments in email or the Internet so you aren't nastily
surprised when someone in good faith sends you something which your email
program considers junk.
 
This may to some sound arrogant but I hope that the example above shows that
it is not meant as such.
 
Cheers, Erick  (from Holland, not the Michigan one)