(FORTUNE Magazine) – Who would have guessed that FORTUNE readers are such romantics? Of all the mail that has come in lately--on topics ranging from whether the job market for techies over 50 is really all that bad to how to banish unwelcome visitors from one's cubicle--by far the biggest heap concerns the letter from "Heartsick" (April 13), who was debating whether to tell her boss that she is in love with him. But before we get to that (evidently compelling) subject, a couple of items of housekeeping in response to a large number of recent inquiries: Anybody still looking for the Department of Labor study on the importance of informal learning in the workplace (March 2) can get it by calling the Center for Workforce Development in Newton, Mass., at 617-969-7100. And the American Sleep Apnea Association (April 27) has a new Web address (www.sleepapnea.org).

But back to what you really care about. All the fuss over sexual harassment has not, it seems, dampened ardor at the office too much. A typical comment, from a female reader who is married to her former boss: "Of course 'Heartsick' should tell her boss how she feels! How can she stand to go through the rest of her life not knowing if perhaps the attraction was mutual?" A factory supervisor in England wrote to say that, ever since one of the women working for him initiated an affair, "I get much better feedback about what is going on among the staff and am able to make better decisions." Uh-huh. And, referring to consultant Susan Leeds' advice that "Heartsick" get over her infatuation with the help of a therapist, a reader named Craig asked: "Has Leeds ever heard of Jane Eyre, a heroine hung up on an 'obviously unattainable' older man? Did Jane just need a therapist? How many other great novels could we scrap if the protagonists had just spent a little time on the couch?" Oh, Craig. If only life were a little bit more like 19th-century literature.

Plenty of cubicle dwellers sent in good suggestions for shooing away unwanted guests (April 27). "I've developed a repertoire of labels to tape on my doorway, ranging from CHITCHAT WELCOME to IF YOUR HAIR ISN'T ON FIRE, GO AWAY," writes one reader. "Pointedly taking down the former sign and posting the latter in its place is remarkably effective." Suggests Dave from Hong Kong: "Stand up immediately when the offender enters. Walk him out of your cubicle as he talks, leaving him standing in the hall. Done enough times, this will make your point."

The letter from "Not Over the Hill" (May 25), on age discrimination in the market for high-tech jobs, prompted an outpouring. Writes an unemployed techie in Atlanta: "I have had eight companies approach me and do a hard sell--until they realized I am 45. Then they stopped all communication." A 54-year-old former software executive says, "The problem is even worse for those of us who have had upper-level management jobs in infotech," and adds, "It is interesting that only the homegrown youth managing corporate America seem to have a problem with age. Our recent immigrants still respect the concept of wisdom that is earned over time."

Many other readers, however, expressed puzzlement that older tech people seemed to be having a hard time. "There is such a huge demand for 'dated' programming skills to deal with the year 2000 problem that I am kind of shocked that techies over 50 should be having a problem," notes someone named Sylvia. "Maybe they are looking in the wrong places." Could be. A Silicon Valley middle manager who is trying to fill four job openings writes: "Can techies over 50 find work? Heck, they can find it after 65! There are just not enough bodies here in California to fill all the jobs." And Gary Wayne Loew, president of a company in the Northeast called Champion Workflow Systems (E-mail: ChampionWorkflow@compuserve.com), which does applications-software consulting, says he looks for "seasoned, mature folks who have been around, who understand business and how profits are created. 'NOTH' [not over the hill] represents a tremendous and rare resource for us. We can't find enough of these people. Any chance of starting a NOTHing Network?"

Loew may be just slightly ahead of his time. As several alert readers pointed out, the Department of Commerce estimates that U.S. companies will need more than a million new infotech workers over the next seven years (346,000 this year alone), while American colleges turn out only about 45,000 computer-science grads annually. With skilled-immigrant visas now limited to just 65,000 a year, it might be older workers who fill that vast talent gap.

In answer to "Rocky Mountain Man" (June 22), who wanted to know whether he should pursue an MBA from a top school, a few words from Frank Reilly, a finance professor at Notre Dame's business school: "Some employers actually prefer graduates from good regional MBA programs because they want people who are familiar with local markets."

And finally, many thanks to all who sent such fascinating stuff--war stories, advice, and encouragement--to "Disappointed" (May 11), whose boss hired her for an international position and then was reluctant to send her anywhere but Canada. We'll be coming back to this at greater length later on, but in the meantime one shrewd observation from a reader named Lucy, who spent two years working for a global commodities trader based in Beijing: "'Disappointed,'" says she, "'was told' that her department head thinks it is unsafe for women to travel abroad. But did she ever go and ask him about it? My experience with corporate politics has shown me that you must never, ever act on hearsay. Much 'friendly advice' from colleagues is fabricated for entertainment purposes only." How true.