Computer' is also approaching interchangeability with 'IBM' and 'Mac', in much the same way as 'hoover'. It matches Western binary thought. It insists that other linguistic systems adapt themselves to it. It appears to have a commercial monopoly in both hardware and software worldwide. Jim O'Donnell, you bring up a number of interesting issues, and manage to tie them into such a knot that I have some difficulty in responding coherently.
Software is simply very primitive.
You give the example of the limited character set available in E-mail. Have some pity for the hard scientists. Since the machines were already there, we had the opportunity to play with applications like E-mail and word processing when it would have been prohibitively expensive to buy a computer for that alone. Our expensive playthings have become your daily utility, but are distorted by our tastes. Digital computers are not philosophy.