I wholeheartedly endorse Mr Robert Macmillan’s grave reservations about personal computers, published in the Gazette and Herald on July 11.

Two fundamental truths about computers seem to have been drowned out by incessant and incoherent babble on the so-called information superhighway.

First, computers are incapable of thinking for themselves and are only as good as the people (yes, people) who programme them, “garbage in, garbage out”.

They can never, therefore, take the blame for human laziness, forgetfulness or incompetence.

Second, computers are valuable, sometimes even indispensible, as our slaves.

But as soon as they become our masters they are a colossal liability, overwhelming our daily lives, and those of our children, with cyber-information which is pointless or subversive and which is alarmingly immune to policing of any kind. As an ageing pensioner, I freely admit to being a grumpy old man who looks forward malevolently to the catastrophic solar storm which will knock out our global electronic communications at a stroke.

But then I have to remind myself that many of those things which make my retirement easy and manageable will also go down together: cashpoints, checkout tills, selective computer-controlled engine of my car – leaving me stranded at home to compose well crafted, hand-written letters to my educated and courteous friends.

Letters which, if they manage to get delivered, will definitely have started “Dear Robert” and not “Hi, Bob”.

Jeremy York, Sorley Close, Marlborough.