John, web design and whys would be a thread (or more) in it's own right! In brief, personally I dislike WebTV and while I try to be compatible for info, I don't care that you can't get folkinfo chat for example. WebTV doesn't support Java as Mr Gates doesn't control Java... If you can't afford both tv and computer, do yourself a favour and go the other way. Fit a TV card in the computer. Prices start around £40. I gave one away (and mentioned I had one to give away in a thread here) only yesterday.