From Helen MacDonald
Eliminating macros from wordprocessing programs is not the answer to macro viruses
(Letters, 24 April, p 54).
Macro viruses are certainly a problem, but
they are relatively easy to detect and disable. And Peter Berrie’s conjecture
that no one would miss macros is false. Macros are used extensively in the
publishing industry to prepare authors’ texts for copy-editing and typesetting,
for example. I cannot imagine wanting to return to the pre-macros Dark
Ages—they have improved both quality and productivity substantially.
One way to reduce the effectiveness of macro viruses would be to make the
macro language something that can only be installed and activated after explicit
warnings about the dangers of viruses (and for the macro language to be disabled
if unused after, say, 14 days). Those of us who create and use macros can
probably put up with a specific installation process to permit their use.
Perth, Scotland
