The reason why my parents (who pay for my 'net connection, so I won't complain) choose AOL as their service of choice is because they don't know where to find a better service at the same or lesser price. If you would care to suggest one instead of just bashing AOL, then I'd be glad to hear it.

I'll also confess my ignorance and ask: What do you mean by a "dialer"? Do you mean that it uses a dial up connection instead of broadband? Are you aware that you can use AOL with a cable/DSL modem for a reduced rate?

And your point about AIM is a silly question of semantics. I'd personnally find a messenger that transmits before I'm done typing irritating. I usually make several typos and reword things once or twice before I type (just as I did in typing this message, incidentally) To say that they are not worthy of charging a monetary fee because AIM doesn't transmit what you are typing as you type it is hardly a worthwhile argument.

Now, if I'm going to gripe about AOL, I'd complain mostly about their email system. For example, why can't they use the same system everyone else does? I'd love to be able to use Outlook Express and put the e-mail into my Palm Pilot. I'd love for the formatting that I do to show up in the other person's e-mail box. I'd love for Desktop X to be able to tell me when AOL has new e-mail. Maybe 8.0 has fixed this, but I doubt it.

Otherwise, it seems to be a great system. What "power internet software" are you referring to?

AOL cannot use the same system for email that everyone else does because AOL does not utilise a true internet connection (TCP/IP - Telecommunications Protocol/Internet Protocol), AOL uses a dialer. Meaning this, when you connect to AOL, you are "dialing" into and visiting the files on another computer and when you logon to a real ISP you are logging into their server, which allows your computer to act like a subserver of the ISP's main server, and you receive an Internet address (ex. 225.42.7.109). This numerical web address is assigned to every server and subserver on the internet. The familiar web address (ex. www.someservernamehere.com) is only to please us humans. Computers just use the numerical web address.

AOL does not, to my knowledge, use TCP/IP (true internet connections), rather they use a dialer. Programs like Outlook Express, major FTP clients, Wwebsite zippers, maor email clients, etc. need a TCP/IP connection in order to work. In fact, most internet software needs this type of connection in order to function.

AOL may be a great browser and a great idea, but as long they use a dialer connection instead of TCP/IP, you are ALWAYS going to be limited.

The reason most people choose AOL is because they don't really know anything about the benefits of the internet. And, AOL won't tell you either - for fear of you waking up and dropping AOL like a bad habit. I don't thing DesktopX would want to completely re-write their entire product line just to be compatible with AOL. As I said, AOL is as different from a true ISP as day is to night.

Power internet software? Program titles like:
Email clients (MS Outlook, Eudora Pro, Enchante, etc.)
FTP clients (Bulletproof FTP, WS_FTP, etc.)
Web zippers (WebZip, etc.)
Telnet items (HyperTerminal, etc.)
Web Browsers (Netscape, I.E., Opera, etc.)
I could go on, but what's the point?

AOL's browser could never come close to doing any real work on the internet as it just doesn't have what it needs "under the hood". And, it never will unless AOL changes everything to work around a TCP/IP connection. What can you use with AOL? The AOL browser and that's it?!?

If you have any evidence that any part of this writing is in error, I would be happy to see that evidence and make changes to what I have written. In the meantime...if you aint got the data...your chatta dont' matta.

Paying $20.00/month for an ISP is a better value than $9.99/month for AOL because you get what you pay for. You can do so much more with a TCP/IP connection than you can with AOL. Find a power internet user in your area and talk with them about what they can do while on the internet.

I have a cable connection, and maintain a "standard" dial-up ISP for backup. However, I have used the more recent versions of AOL/Walmart connect, and once dialed in and minimized, you can go about doing whatever you want via the connection. It's not like it was back in the old versions. Access POP mail, browse with the browser of your choice, FTP, etc. In fact, it has (the last time I checked) an advantage many "standard" ISP's don't. They aren't (or at least weren't) block SMTP port 25. Believe me, I trashed AOL just a lot of other people back around version 3, 4, 5 - but they've come a long way. I know it's fashionable to bash the service, but it's changed a lot. In fact, 8.0 didn't even litter my system with links and garbage as did earlier versions.

Bryan: Actually, IE works quite well with AOL. Since I've gotten WebBlinds, I use IE exclusively. And, incidentally, I wouldn't touch AOL's search with a ten foot pole. You might be more familiar with an older version of the AOL software or something, because I use a couple of the programs you mentioned. I will look into netzero though.

geekboy2000 and EnsRegis,
thank you for your comments and for commenting in a polite way. Actually I had AOL (versions 5 and 6) and when I finally decided to change over to a TCP/IP connection (due to working on my masters in telecommunications), I uninstalled AOL, or so I thought. I remember spending 4 days searching and still finding bits and pieces of it here and there - I had 3 hard drives (C:, Q:, and V:) of 720 MB each and a SatZap terminal. I also remember finding a large file (one year later) that was connected to the AOL install of version 6, yes, it was still there even after the AOL uninstaller told me that "America On Line has been comletely removed from you computer". I continued to have problems conected to AOL until I finally did a complete hard drive format/re-install OS. So the problems I had were directly conected to AOL versions 5 and 6. I stopped keeping up with AOL since then. Have they really changed that much?
Oh, well, when they stop charging for service, let me know and I may think about switching from my FREE service and give them another try.

Weasel Slayer,
Dud, when they invent time machines, I want you to go back in time and meet me in London, England and I will show you all the trouble I had for almost two years, until then don't tell me my info is off because I know my computer better than you do. The info I have commented on is based on my experience. My copy of IE would never load a web page when I was using AOL, and my copy of Enchante would deliver my email to me as unintelligable pages of garbage just before deleting those messages off the server. I missed so many email messages it wasn't funny. Ok, so you seem to know more about the internet than anyone still alive - how old are you anyway? That does not change the fact that AOL has caused me and my family nothing but pain and misery for close to two full years - three if you count finding leftovers after uninstalling AOL. I view pro AOL people as lucky to never had experienced what I went through. Hope your luck continues.

Does AOL still have problems with programs like ICQ?
I don't know how it is now, but my main problem with AOL used to be that the AOL network was behind a proxy server and therefore making it impossible to use some Internet software that required instant access.
I've also had many issues with the AOL browser on web site I've made in the past. To a point where I started specifying in my quotes "Web site will be tested and 100% compatible with Internet Explorer and Netscape; any other browser compatiblity will be object of additional charges".

For what it's worth, I work for a company that produces/manages/maintains websites here in Plymouth, UK, and we've basically had to tell our clients we don't support AOL in any way, shape or form. So if punters visiting our clients' sites complain of weird things happening then one of our first questions is: Are they running AOL...

Now that may be because our web programmers are no good, but as a support techie I can testify that AOL makes a right mess of rendering some of our sites' pages that run scripts and other interesting bits 'n pieces, which would otherwise look fine in IE or Netscape.

Anyone else other than us 'n paxx seen such oddities?

There are still 6 million AOL users, but they can still use IE or Netscape. They don't HAVE to use the crappy AOL browser.

Brian...AOL has been a simple TCP/IP stack since version 4. It also uninstalls cleanly if you know what you're doing. You clearly have NO idea what you're talking about. I have been using it since 1995 as a backup ISP, and it's fine, albeit slightly overpriced, full of pedophiles and a haven for morons.

Also, you might wat to re-read the Constitution, pal. It's customary when dropping 'tude like yours to at least have your facts straight. http://www.kenefick.net/jim/constitution.htm

Why dont Both of you grow up and stop fighting?? You know what they say, fighting online is like winning the special olympics, Even if you win, your still retarded.. and weasel, you sound like your about 30+ , you seriously need to get laid, and get a life