AOL: It's so easy no wonder they charge high rates for shitt

[Ness]

Sinced we had hijacked Lolli's thread with our AOL rants, which was sort of my fault, I decided to make a topic for whatever AOL rants people might have.

[Deathscythealpha]

After using it for four years all i can say is its a horrible ISP that takes over everything, refuses to leave and is just a pain in the ass. But free net at home is free net...

[HUnewearl_Meira]

On 2004-05-05 15:19, Deathscythealpha wrote:
After using it for four years all i can say is its a horrible ISP that takes over everything, refuses to leave and is just a pain in the ass. But free net at home is free net...



Well, of course it makes a horrible ISP-- that's because it's not an ISP. An ISP allows you to connect directly to the internet. AOL is a Web Service, that happens to provide access to internet resources, among a host of other services including chatting, instant messaging, e-mail, forums, news, weather, games, entertainment, and so on. For what it is, it's actually quite good.

In all honesty, I've never come across another e-mail provider that provides a premium e-mail service that even compares to AOL. Plus, all downloads off of AOL's servers are quite fast, which comes in handy when you receive an e-mail attachment that nears the limit on the file size that can be attached to a single e-mail, which is in the neighborhood of 13 or 14 megs. More significantly, it's interesting to observe that you can have several gigabytes worth of e-mail attachments in your mailbox, and AOL couldn't care less. The only other e-mail service that I'm aware of that can even compare is Google's up-coming service, that will offer a gigabyte of space, but even that can't hold up to what AOL is providing.

I honestly don't see where peoples' problems are. Personally, I've reapped far more good from AOL than harm.

Just remember that it's not actually an ISP, but rather, a premium Web Service.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: HUnewearl_Meira on 2004-05-05 15:37 ]</font>

[Hrith]

in other words : AOL sucks and is a pain in the ass.

[Siris]

No problems with AOL here either, other than the PITA Beta testing gave. I actually really like their spam filter, it works great.

[Ness]

On 2004-05-05 15:34, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:

Well, of course it makes a horrible ISP-- that's because it's not an ISP. An ISP allows you to connect directly to the internet. AOL is a Web Service, that happens to provide access to internet resources, among a host of other services including chatting, instant messaging, e-mail, forums, news, weather, games, entertainment, and so on. For what it is, it's actually quite good.


I can get all of that for free by going to msn.com.


In all honesty, I've never come across another e-mail provider that provides a premium e-mail service that even compares to AOL. Plus, all downloads off of AOL's servers are quite fast, which comes in handy when you receive an e-mail attachment that nears the limit on the file size that can be attached to a single e-mail, which is in the neighborhood of 13 or 14 megs. More significantly, it's interesting to observe that you can have several gigabytes worth of e-mail attachments in your mailbox, and AOL couldn't care less. The only other e-mail service that I'm aware of that can even compare is Google's up-coming service, that will offer a gigabyte of space, but even that can't hold up to what AOL is providing.

But let's talk aobut practicality. How many people actually use that much space on an e-mail account? How often do you use it? With my ISP I get everything AOL provides you, but guess what? I don't use it. To me there is no need for it. I have trobule filling up the 5 MBs hotmail gives me and with my own domain I have a ton of space on the e-mail accounts that came with that.



I honestly don't see where peoples' problems are. Personally, I've reapped far more good from AOL than harm.

For me, it's not so much AOl in itself that makes me mad, but the kind of people they allow to use the internet. The internet wasn't made to be easy. Why? Because it keeps the idiots out. I'm not saying that everyone that uses AOL is an idiot, but the great majority of the idiots on the net use AOL.



Just remember that it's not actually an ISP, but rather, a premium Web Service.



A sad one, if I might add, but that's just my opinion.

[Deathscythealpha]

On 2004-05-05 15:34, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:
Well, of course it makes a horrible ISP-- that's because it's not an ISP. An ISP allows you to connect directly to the internet. AOL is a Web Service, that happens to provide access to internet resources, among a host of other services including chatting, instant messaging, e-mail, forums, news, weather, games, entertainment, and so on. For what it is, it's actually quite good.

In all honesty, I've never come across another e-mail provider that provides a premium e-mail service that even compares to AOL. Plus, all downloads off of AOL's servers are quite fast, which comes in handy when you receive an e-mail attachment that nears the limit on the file size that can be attached to a single e-mail, which is in the neighborhood of 13 or 14 megs. More significantly, it's interesting to observe that you can have several gigabytes worth of e-mail attachments in your mailbox, and AOL couldn't care less. The only other e-mail service that I'm aware of that can even compare is Google's up-coming service, that will offer a gigabyte of space, but even that can't hold up to what AOL is providing.

I honestly don't see where peoples' problems are. Personally, I've reapped far more good from AOL than harm.

Just remember that it's not actually an ISP, but rather, a premium Web Service.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: HUnewearl_Meira on 2004-05-05 15:37 ]</font>


I didnt realise that you could use that much email space on it, but to tell the truth ive had more bad experiance's with AOL then good. I get the thing now that its a web service, but over here it just seems to be shopped out as another ISP.

But i dont like the way it embeds itself in everything, takes over functions it cant do (it took over my media player with its own player that didnt even produce a sound!) and gets laggy as hell at times. Maybe this is because when you use AOL here in the Uk, you have to wait for it to connect to a server in the US. This fact also helped me get kicked from several UK based Online Gaming Server (Jolt decided against US gamers for some reason).

I had to use AOL at home as it was the Web Provider my dad signed up with, and free internet was free internet, but im not planning on using ever again when i get back. Once stung you may say.

But you seemed to have got something out of it, which is fair enough, if you can use it thats good. It just dis-agree's with me...

[lain2k3]

On 2004-05-05 15:54, Kef wrote:
in other words : AOL sucks and is a pain in the ass.



Indeed.

[KodiaX987]

I used AOL for 2 months while waiting for cable. I got disconnected every 15 minutes when it wasn't the AOL program that crashed at random. When I finally got off, the AOL guys called me SEVEN times on the phone to ask why I was leaving. Everytime, I said I was going to cable, and everytime, the told me about how they'd soon lower their rates, or have a new, high speed internet service. Neither came, little fuckers.

[Armok]

Quote:
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On 2004-05-05 04:20, Armok wrote:
AOL internet didnt work with pso. I hate AOL computer destroying monsters.

'You have sucessfully uninstalled AOL and we have sucessfully uninstalled half the key components to make your computer run properly. Thank you for using our free trial and we hope you spend hundreds of pounds trying to fix the problems we have just caused you, the cheapskate who wouldnt subscribe'

Dam them, dam them all



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thats all I got to say on the matter.

Seems though that all the twisted regulars from the rants forum have some where in their past been involved in an AOL incident. This leads me to believe they may be to blame for all the suffering and hate we all feel today.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

On 2004-05-05 17:33, Ness wrote:

I can get all of that for free by going to msn.com.


Yeah sure, but MSN doesn't come in a clean, user-friendly package. What I've seen of MSN is an obsequious mess.


But let's talk aobut practicality. How many people actually use that much space on an e-mail account? How often do you use it? With my ISP I get everything AOL provides you, but guess what? I don't use it. To me there is no need for it. I have trobule filling up the 5 MBs hotmail gives me and with my own domain I have a ton of space on the e-mail accounts that came with that.


I use that space quite often, actually. It's not uncommon for me to have entire CDs worth of information sent to me at a time. Literally. AOL also functions as a download manager for those e-mail attachments, as well as a download accellerator, making downloading large file attachments rather easy, even on dial-up. Long before I ever had any sort of broadband, I, personally, downloaded a 2 full CD package. It took a week, but AOL's software made it extremely simple to do. Since getting broadband, I've tackled even larger downloads.

It's also used it pass MP3s back and forth created by myself or friends, that exceed the 5 megs Hotmail gives you.

If you had it, you'd use it.



For me, it's not so much AOl in itself that makes me mad, but the kind of people they allow to use the internet. The internet wasn't made to be easy. Why? Because it keeps the idiots out. I'm not saying that everyone that uses AOL is an idiot, but the great majority of the idiots on the net use AOL.


Get it straight. The great majority of idiots on the net are below the age of 15. AOL has nothing to do with it. Quite frankly, most of the more intelligent friends I have on the net, used AOL when I met them. Some of them still use AOL to this day. The vast majority of the less intelligent people I've personally met through AOL's IM network have been AIM users, without AOL accounts.

While I can honestly admit that there are a lot of really really dumb AOL users, for the most part, their numbers are contained within the AOL network on AOL's internal pop-culture forums (which are kind of funny to read, sometimes; the arguments between fans of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera used to be classics), because they're too dumb to venture outward. Conversely, we don't have a problem with unintelligence on forums like PSO World, because the forums are strictly moderated and the unintelligent have difficulty being coherent enough to communicate on this medium. There are forums where the unintelligent run free, however, and it's by going to those places that you realize just how stupid the world's general population is.



A sad one, if I might add, but that's just my opinion.



Eh, you just don't know how to take advantage of it.

And those of you who say you've had problems after uninstalling AOL... I would have to say you're more likely at fault, and there's a good reason why I can say that-- I've been an AOL Beta tester since the Beta test of version 4. I get the AOL software months before its official release, when it's still especially crappy and buggy, and I've never had any such problems. There've been times when I've downloaded two or three successive Beta versions of the same version. I've had Beta software freak out on me, I've had it crash during installation, I've had it unable to connect at all, I've had it unable to open my buddy list, unable to send or recieve IMs, I've had it delete mail it wasn't supposed to, but I've never had it cause my computer itself to malfunction after uninstallation-- even with Beta test versions. So again, I don't see where your problems with the software version are.

And for the record (because someone brought it up), the internal media player within AOL is an embedded hybrid of WinAMP (for audio) and Real Player (for videos). While I'm like the rest of the world, and dislike Real Player, one has to admit that between those two applications, there's really only two, maybe three media formats that can't be played. And if it wants to take over your file associations, then deal with it; it's not that hard.

[trypticon]

On 2004-05-06 09:28, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:

And those of you who say you've had problems after uninstalling AOL... I would have to say you're more likely at fault, and there's a good reason why I can say that-- I've been an AOL Beta tester since the Beta test of version 4. I get the AOL software months before its official release, when it's still especially crappy and buggy, and I've never had any such problems. There've been times when I've downloaded two or three successive Beta versions of the same version. I've had Beta software freak out on me, I've had it crash during installation, I've had it unable to connect at all, I've had it unable to open my buddy list, unable to send or recieve IMs, I've had it delete mail it wasn't supposed to, but I've never had it cause my computer itself to malfunction after uninstallation-- even with Beta test versions. So again, I don't see where your problems with the software version are.




Well now at least we see why you are backing them so strongly. But this thread is supposed to be about horror stories of AOL, so let's hear from some people who've not tested beta copies, meaning they haven't worked for AOL, and have had real problems with the final versions. It wouldn't surprise me at all if you were actually forced to back them like this, because if anybody in the company saw you bashing AOL like the rest of the world knows to do, your job as beta tester for them might be threatened.

[Siris]

Umm...you don't get paid for Beta testing. Nor do you get any other kind of AOL benefit.

[trypticon]

So AOL doesn't pay their beta testers? That's pretty damn sad.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Beta testing is a volunteer thing, yes. My point is, however, that I've seen AOL's software in its most unstable states, I've seen just how bad it can screw up, and I still haven't had the problems that you people are complaining about.

And furthermore, no, I don't work for AOL at all. I work for a Civil Engineering firm. That's quite a difference from working for AOL.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: HUnewearl_Meira on 2004-05-06 11:27 ]</font>

[Ness]

On 2004-05-06 09:28, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:


Yeah sure, but MSN doesn't come in a clean, user-friendly package. What I've seen of MSN is an obsequious mess.


I disagree. MSN is pretty user friendly. With MSN, I can get everythign AOL provides just by clicking MyMSN. If you ask me, that's pretty user friendly and the best aprt is that I'm not being charged a whole bunch of money for it. AOL doesn't exactly charge for internet usage, but for the fact that it is, as you call it, a web service provider.



I use that space quite often, actually. It's not uncommon for me to have entire CDs worth of information sent to me at a time. Literally. AOL also functions as a download manager for those e-mail attachments, as well as a download accellerator, making downloading large file attachments rather easy, even on dial-up. Long before I ever had any sort of broadband, I, personally, downloaded a 2 full CD package. It took a week, but AOL's software made it extremely simple to do. Since getting broadband, I've tackled even larger downloads.


How much does AOl cost now? $30-35 a month? For the same price I can get high-speed internet access and download large from anywhere on the net in minutes without any type of acellerator. Besides AOl's acellerator only works with websites that are compatable with it, while high-speed internet works anywhere.


It's also used it pass MP3s back and forth created by myself or friends, that exceed the 5 megs Hotmail gives you.

If you had it, you'd use it.

I don't think so. I can pass MP3's using MSN Messenger and sometime AIM--AIM usually screws up when I try.



Get it straight. The great majority of idiots on the net are below the age of 15.

While that statemnt is ture, you'd be surprised how many idiots are over 18.


AOL has nothing to do with it.

Other then providing a method for them to get on the net.

Quite frankly, most of the more intelligent friends I have on the net, used AOL when I met them. Some of them still use AOL to this day. The vast majority of the less intelligent people I've personally met through AOL's IM network have been AIM users, without AOL accounts.


While I can honestly admit that there are a lot of really really dumb AOL users, for the most part, their numbers are contained within the AOL network on AOL's internal pop-culture forums (which are kind of funny to read, sometimes; the arguments between fans of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera used to be classics), because they're too dumb to venture outward.

If there numbers are really as contained as you say they are, then how come I know them? When it comes to the net, I'm prety much an isolationists, only going to few forums that are, for the most part, closely related to each other.


Conversely, we don't have a problem with unintelligence on forums like PSO World, because the forums are strictly moderated and the unintelligent have difficulty being coherent enough to communicate on this medium.

*tries hard to contain his laughter*

You weren't here when our buddy Scriptor was around, were you?


There are forums where the unintelligent run free, however, and it's by going to those places that you realize just how stupid the world's general population is.



During my travels, I have found many of these said forums an many of the e-mail addresses were [email protected]. It also happed to be that out of those with an @aol.com address happened to be under 14.


Eh, you just don't know how to take advantage of it.

Or I can get it for free in other places.

[DOG21313]

On 2004-05-06 09:28, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:
AOL also functions as a download manager for those e-mail attachments, as well as a download accellerator, making downloading large file attachments rather easy, even on dial-up.

No. No, no, no.

I used to have dial up AOL on a PERFECTLY fine computer (That is now sitting in a corner and cannot be used, mostly because of aol -.-). It was a new computer, yet it took HUGE periods of time to download ANYTHING that i tried. If I tried to upload anything into an e-mail, it would disconnect before the file was done uploading. DO NOT TELL ME that AOL is perfectly fine, because it isnt. I got Cox High speed internet, and I get BETTER SERVICE. I can actually send files from my computer now! =0

Pages load quickly now, not the 5 minute loads (Minimum) for each page change that I used to have with AOL. It is NOT okay. It is a horrible service in my opinion. Dont tell me it is good, because it isnt.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

On 2004-05-06 13:28, Ness wrote:

I disagree. MSN is pretty user friendly. With MSN, I can get everythign AOL provides just by clicking MyMSN. If you ask me, that's pretty user friendly and the best aprt is that I'm not being charged a whole bunch of money for it. AOL doesn't exactly charge for internet usage, but for the fact that it is, as you call it, a web service provider.


To each, his own, I suppose. But I'd wager that AOL's network covers more ground, as far as the services that are provided by it.

Let's also consider that with broadband, AOL provides a CD-quality radio service, streaming video for AOL-exclusive interviews and performances by popular artists, news video, and other similar services; all with high-clarity. I can personally testify that this was a very pleasent way to see Michelle Branch perform.



How much does AOl cost now? $30-35 a month? For the same price I can get high-speed internet access and download large from anywhere on the net in minutes without any type of acellerator. Besides AOl's acellerator only works with websites that are compatable with it, while high-speed internet works anywhere.


You've over-estimated. Here's how the pricing goes--

Unlimited dial-up for $23.90 a month.
Unlimited Broadband and unlimited dial-up for $24.95 a month.
Unlimited Broadband and 5 hours of dial-up for $14.95 a month (I believe this is the "Bring Your Own Access" plan).
(Source (http://www.aol.com/price_plans/index.adp))

It's not the cheapest service, no, but it is indeed, a premium service. They don't cut corners to get you stuff for cheap.



I don't think so. I can pass MP3's using MSN Messenger and sometime AIM--AIM usually screws up when I try.


I've had MSN screw up on me when trying to send files, as much as AIM has. Neither one is terribly stable for that purpose. When you e-mail a file between two mailboxes on AOL, you know that it is going to get there, and you don't have to wait for them to sign on to send it to them, either. Which is kinda the point of e-mail. You just send it to them, and they can download it at their leisure. File sharing through messengers is no substitute. Like I said, if you had it available to you, you'd use it. Unless you avoid e-mail whereever possible.



While that statemnt is ture, you'd be surprised how many idiots are over 18.


The world is full of idiots. That's my point. It's not limited to just AOL. It's just that the highest concentration of them are those who're still going through puberty.



Other then providing a method for them to get on the net.


How is it any different from anyone else that provides net access? I mean, my goodness, most ISPs, all you have to do is hit the Internet Explorer button, and they're good to go-- already on the web. With AOL you have to load the software, get online, then figure out where you're going from there. Sort of a catch-all. Most activity is contained within AOL's software, because it's not immediately grabbing your attention that you can get onto the rest of the web. Furthermore, don't blame AOL that they're letting idiots loose all over the place, blame the parents that let their idiot kids get out onto the web, by not tinkering with the Parental Controls. If they're smart enough to figure out how to get around those, then they're smart enough to handle themselves elsewhere.



If there numbers are really as contained as you say they are, then how come I know them? When it comes to the net, I'm prety much an isolationists, only going to few forums that are, for the most part, closely related to each other.


I'd refrain from claiming that they are completely withheld. There are those that venture out. The bottom of the barrel don't get very far. Like I've pointed out before-- it's much easier to go to the net with a standard ISP, than it is with AOL. It's the difference between clicking one button on the desktop to get to the 'net, and having to load up a program, sign on, then figure out which picture will take you to the embedded web browser if you click on it. So, consider again, which requires more time, thought and effort?



*tries hard to contain his laughter*

You weren't here when our buddy Scriptor was around, were you?


I've officially been here since May 13th, 2001, though I lurked for a number of months before that.

And I'd like to point out: He's not here anymore, is he?

Like I said, we have moderators here that do a rather thorough job of keeping PSO World clean of people who seem to be incapable of behaving intelligently on a forum. Furthermore, I've been here long enough to see the quality of that moderation improve, as well.



During my travels, I have found many of these said forums an many of the e-mail addresses were [email protected]. It also happed to be that out of those with an @aol.com address happened to be under 14.


Yes, and my address is [email protected]. Considering that I make a concerted effort to provide a clear argument using valid points, and use proper spelling and grammar, it should be worth observing that AOL is not exclusively the access provider of idiots.

Just because you had a few bad experiences with some 12 and 13 year olds, or a few 25 and 26 year olds living in their parents' basements because they're too dumb to get a proper job, doesn't mean that AOL is a bad service, nor does it mean that it is a cursed brand name. If AOL didn't provide service to retards, you'd be complaining that Comcast or SBC or some other extremely common access provider gives access to retards. AOL itself has nothing to do with it.



Or I can get it for free in other places.


At the price of losing the premium quality of the service. Just like ice cream-- you can buy the cheap, generic stuff, and you might be satisfied with it, and it's all you need. But if you buy the premium stuff, you'll pay a little more, and get a higher quality product. Maybe you don't need a higher quality product to be satisfied, and that's fine. To each, his own, but you'd never claim the generic stuff to be of a higher quality because it is indeed, cheaper. You may prefer it, you may like it better, but that doesn't change the fact that it's made from cheaper resources with cheaper equipment, and is altogether, as a result, a cheaper product.

AOL can charge the prices that they charge because the services they provide are worth the price they charge. The people paying for these services are typically the head of household, and they typically own their own homes, which means that they had to be intelligent enough to have jobs that enables them to afford that suburban residence. These are not dumb people, they are business-minded, and they pay for these services because they want them. If you are not interested in what AOL has to offer, then that's fine, but do recognize that it is indeed, a premium service. That $24 a month or so pays for access to a huge host of things; virtually every service you would spent hours hunting down on the net can be navigated to within minutes. Looking for new parts for your computer? That won't take long to find. Plane tickets? It's filed away under the Travel channel. Phone numbers? Got that, too. Games? There's a whole channel devoted to that. Technical support for your computer? There's information readily available, and if that's not good enough, then there's an entire series of chatrooms devoted to it. Business stocks? Got it. Need to set up a video conference? It can be done. Send a text message to someone's pager or cell phone? Not a problem! Heck, you can do that just with AIM, and it won't cost you a penny to do it, either. Need an organizer that you can access from any internet-enabled computer you may find yourself in front of? Got that, in addition to a fully-loaded address book, stored online. Maybe you're simpler, and you just want to send flowers to someone special. Well, with AOL's software, even THAT is only a few clicks away.

They provide fast access to virtually anything you'd want to do, and MSN doesn't accomplish very much in the way of competing. It saves you time, and it's convenient. That's the whole point of making it a premium service.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

On 2004-05-06 15:42, DOG21313 wrote:

No. No, no, no.

I used to have dial up AOL on a PERFECTLY fine computer (That is now sitting in a corner and cannot be used, mostly because of aol -.-). It was a new computer, yet it took HUGE periods of time to download ANYTHING that i tried. If I tried to upload anything into an e-mail, it would disconnect before the file was done uploading. DO NOT TELL ME that AOL is perfectly fine, because it isnt. I got Cox High speed internet, and I get BETTER SERVICE. I can actually send files from my computer now! =0

Pages load quickly now, not the 5 minute loads (Minimum) for each page change that I used to have with AOL. It is NOT okay. It is a horrible service in my opinion. Dont tell me it is good, because it isnt.



What you're talking about is a problem inherent in ALL dial-up, and furthermore, I can point out that not all dial-up connections are created equal. I've had a pain in the ass with a lot of connections myself, both with AOL and with other dial-up providers. Sometimes changing the dial-up number was enough to make things faster and more stable, and sometimes it wasn't. Strangely enough, the fastest, most stable dial-up connection I ever had was over a noisy phone line, through AOL, using the wrong modem drivers. I was connecting at 57k, and never got disconnected-- with a 33.6k modem. I've also had times with the same modem, using AOL on the same phone line and the correct modem drivers, where I couldn't connect stably passed 26.4k. Using AOL, the same access number, the same modem and the same drivers at another location, I connected just fine. There are a number of factors involved, and they are not all related directly to AOL. It's like blaming your local mechanic for something someone did to your car at your local tire shop.

Furthermore, concerning your computer screwing up, from the way you're talking about it, I'd guess that it's a Compaq, HP or some other similar major brand name. Computers from such companies have a reputation for breaking down, and are designed to be replaced every year or two. A new one of these computers, I would not consider to be "perfectly fine". The best computers are custom built by someone you trust. Those are the computers that you keep for ten or fifteen years, replacing parts as necessary to keep up with growing technology. Once you have a computer, you should never have to buy a *new* computer-- the old one should simply evolve with the times.

Also, in years upon years of fixing computers for people, I find that most of the problems people think make a computer unuseable are problems that I'd've fixed within minutes of cropping up, had they appeared on my own computer. So ask yourself again. Was it AOL that screwed up your computer, or was it general incompetence? Like I said, I'm a Beta tester. I recieve the software in its buggiest and most unstable states. I've seen it crash before it even finishes installing. I've never once had it cause a significant problem for my computer, as a whole.

Concerning downloading, I was refering to downloading file attachments. I've been annoyed by the eternal bugginess of the internal web browser to never even consider using it (I don't think I've used it since v4 though, so maybe things have changed since then). I can't speak for anyone overseas, but in the US at least, there is no resource on the net that you can download from faster than AOL's servers through AOL's software. It really shines when you're using broadband.

[DOG21313]

On 2004-05-06 17:13, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:
What you're talking about is a problem inherent in ALL dial-up, and furthermore, I can point out that not all dial-up connections are created equal. I've had a pain in the ass with a lot of connections myself, both with AOL and with other dial-up providers. Sometimes changing the dial-up number was enough to make things faster and more stable, and sometimes it wasn't. Strangely enough, the fastest, most stable dial-up connection I ever had was over a noisy phone line, through AOL, using the wrong modem drivers. I was connecting at 57k, and never got disconnected-- with a 33.6k modem. I've also had times with the same modem, using AOL on the same phone line and the correct modem drivers, where I couldn't connect stably passed 26.4k. Using AOL, the same access number, the same modem and the same drivers at another location, I connected just fine. There are a number of factors involved, and they are not all related directly to AOL. It's like blaming your local mechanic for something someone did to your car at your local tire shop.

In my opinion, it was AOL. My friend had NetZero at the time, AND the same type of computer as me. He did not get disconnected near as much as I did.



Furthermore, concerning your computer screwing up, from the way you're talking about it, I'd guess that it's a Compaq, HP or some other similar major brand name. Computers from such companies have a reputation for breaking down, and are designed to be replaced every year or two. A new one of these computers, I would not consider to be "perfectly fine".


Well, listen to this. On the computer that screwed up, we had AOL service, which was constantly messing up, disconnecting, ect. When it got screwed up, we got a new computer, same brand. With Cox HSI, our computer has NOT screwed up at all. It seems dumb to me that it isnt AOL when that is the only big difference between the two computers. Also, you say a year or two? It had not even been one. Sorry, but AOL seemed to be the problem, and when it got taken out, everything worked fine.



The best computers are custom built by someone you trust. Those are the computers that you keep for ten or fifteen years, replacing parts as necessary to keep up with growing technology. Once you have a computer, you should never have to buy a *new* computer-- the old one should simply evolve with the times.


Erm, I dont know anyone who can just build me a computer without it costing a lot. It is just a lot easier to go out to a store and buy a computer for me.



Also, in years upon years of fixing computers for people, I find that most of the problems people think make a computer unuseable are problems that I'd've fixed within minutes of cropping up, had they appeared on my own computer.


Personally, I think I could fix it. Parents wont let me. They have things on that computer that they need, and do not completly trust me. I did not mean it is completly unusable, it just runs INCREDIBLY slow and has very screwed up graphics. And by slow, I mean slow. We installed cox HSI on there, and it goes the speed that AOL (56k) would go on a normal computer. If we even try to log onto AOL, it kicks us off.



So ask yourself again. Was it AOL that screwed up your computer, or was it general incompetence? Like I said, I'm a Beta tester. I recieve the software in its buggiest and most unstable states. I've seen it crash before it even finishes installing. I've never once had it cause a significant problem for my computer, as a whole.


Heh, basically what I said above applies here. I really dont see why it was not AOL. We did not open anything that was not sent by someone we knew. We had virus software. I dont see how it could have been a virus at all.



Concerning downloading, I was refering to downloading file attachments. I've been annoyed by the eternal bugginess of the internal web browser to never even consider using it (I don't think I've used it since v4 though, so maybe things have changed since then).

Download attachments were the same also. It took incredibly long amounts of time for things that even 56k should have been able to do fast. Also, I dont see why you shouldnt be able to download other things easily. Cox HSI, the mail downloads go fast, AND the internet downloads do also.



I can't speak for anyone overseas, but in the US at least, there is no resource on the net that you can download from faster than AOL's servers through AOL's software. It really shines when you're using broadband.


Cox HSI is TWICE as good as AOL broadband, MINIMUM. If you would like me to test, I could call my friend, who has a BRAND new computer with AOL broadband, and i could race him to see how fast a page loads. My computer here is at least a year and a half old. I would win. I am completly sure about it. I could beat him onto the internet too, its a lot easier to click an icon and be right on the web than select a username, type a password and wait for it to log on.

Meh, its our own decision to make in the end, but in my opinion, Cox is WAY better than Aol. Almost any ISP is in my opinion.

[Alielle]

I heard a great quote in class yesterday.

"The better the commercial, the more likely the ISP sucks."

[KodiaX987]

Why doesn't anyone reply to my post? http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif I feel left out here!

[Mixfortune]

On 2004-05-06 17:58, Alielle wrote:
I heard a great quote in class yesterday.

"The better the commercial, the more likely the ISP sucks."



A little more general than that.

"The better the commercial, the more likely the product sucks."

[Alielle]

On 2004-05-06 18:00, KodiaX987 wrote:
Why doesn't anyone reply to my post? http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif I feel left out here!



I reply!

I used to steal and format AOL disks back when they came on floppies.

[Nai_Calus]

In defence of AOL:

I've gotten decent speeds on it, both in suburban California and half-rural North Carolina.

It's very good at what it does. It's not something I'd use for general surfing. That's what you minimize it and open Mozilla for.

A lot of the chatrooms are populated by mindless morons, but if you look around long enough, tucked in the backwaters of People Connection you'll find rooms full of people who are actually intelligent and interesting.

Before it disappeared, Keyword: MYST was one of the best, if not the best, communities I've ever found on the internet. Active message boards populated by intelligent, cool people and a chat room with people who were not morons, and just generally a good time. I miss it horribly even to this day, and this was a good 4, 5 years ago now.

AOL here was actually faster than MSN. AOL got tolerable speeds. MSN connected at what the computer claimed was 14.4 half the time. ...I believe it, too, I've used a 14.4 modem before. XP Same kinds of speeds. Pain.

Problems with AOL included:

Crashing
Large consumption of system resources
The way it steadfastly refused to save images as anything other than bitmap(Forget mp3s, THAT'S the best way to fill a hard drive)
Versions of AOL up through 8.0(Never used 9.0) didn't seem to include AIM's file transfer/connection/etc features in AOL itself, forcing one to open AIM in addition.


There are better things to use, and there are worse(Juno, anyone? X_o And that one I can't remember anymore that started with a V, I think... Meh). *shrug*

I'm perfectly happy without it, though. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[AquaFlare7]

Well, I guess it's time to end this topic with some hard core information. I have been working with the AOL company for over 6 months, and after everything I had seen and experienced I threw in the towel about 3 weeks ago. Just to give you an idea, even though being an employee gives you a free AOL account, nobody (and I mean nobody) that I worked with liked and or used AOL service. For the people who have AOL right now, I pray that you do not lose money because of this company. As an employee we were trained to keep you from asking for a refund. The program takes way too much memory and 'can' cause future problems with your computer, leaving you with no option but to format. And if you ever do decide to leave the service and you call in to cancel, be ready for an hour long talk with our cancellation department. These guys get payed 10 dollars an hour PLUS 6 dollars for every account that they do not cancel. Usually this causes corruptness and greediness on the call floor, and they will make you believe the account is closed but instead they will keep it open, obtain their bonuses and call it a day. A month later your payment method will recieve a nice little charge on it.

There is good news however, I saved %15 by switching to Geico. Er, where did that come from? Anyways, to get free time on the account you can easily call in to cancel. The representative will ALWAYS give you 2 months free when you ask to cancel an account. It is their job, and if they do not do that they get fired.

And so this concludes the insiders story of AOL. Truth is they really are their to rip you off, but they sugar coat it nicely for you http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

And as a side note, would somebody with AOL try Keyword Jane for me? while I worked their it led to an indescribable site submission by one of the programmers I knew.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: AquaFlare7 on 2004-05-07 02:32 ]</font>

[Nai_Calus]

Yeah, we had AOL from '97 onwards until last year.

...We actually paid for about 2 months out of the entire last year we had them. >_>;;;

[trypticon]

For those of you who hate AOL, here is a nice commercial to remind you of their worth:

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/aol.mov

[AquaFlare7]

your lucky I dont work there anymore or that part about the service reps being worthless would have made me a little cranky!

[VioletSkye]

I'll quote a post I made in the Tech Support forum on AO Hell.


"Because AOL embeds itself so deeply into the system, especially the registry, it has the ability to affect many other things including the networking drivers, and DUN. In fact many users who uninstalled AOL had to completely reinstall Dialup networking on their machines. many of the registry settings can also affect your using another ISP. Settings like your MaxMTU usually need to be manually reset.

Version 5 had so many bugs that AOL quickly released an update (version 6) that was supposed to fix them. The problem was that version 6 had just as many bugs in it and was causing many customers alot of time and trouble because it "fried" their pc's as they usually put it. What really happened was that it attempted to take control of everything that it could in regards to connections and it screwed up alot of settings that the customer's machine was using to connect. When the customer realized that the new version was causing them problems, they tried uninstalling it which led to even more problems. There were several emergency meeting between Microsoft and AOL during those times, because they needed help cleaning up their sloppy code. I was working on MS Main Campus during that time. Fixes were made and shortly after version 7 was released. Did no one ever stop to wonder why AOL was releasing a new version like every other week lol.

AOL has been known to (and is somewhat famous for) trashing basic registry values that it rewrites to use its software. Some of the registry problems cause errors outside of just basic internet connections. One common problem is that of the "AOL invalid identifiers" error which pops up after you uninstall it. In those instances people are trying to use programs that AOL decided to attach itself and now the registry thinks that the program is tied to AOL and it looks for a specific version of AOL (which was uninstalled) and fails to launch the program. Thats what I mean about embedding itself into areas that it shouldn't.

This practice has caused many consumers to take legal action against AOL for essentially "hijacking" their pc. Even the techs at Microsoft agree that reformatting your harddrive is the easiest and cleanest way to get rid of AOL.

You mentioned that you would like more info on what AOL can't do aside from games. I'll include disadvantages and limitations.

Well for one, their service is slower because of all the garbage that is tied to your active connection.

No faxing by web.
AOL doesn't allow you to send messages without sending the recipients info (BCC)
AOL won't forward your email to another address
Their sotware takes up a ridiculous amount of harddrive space.
AOL sends constant updates (which is stupid and annoying.)
AOL will NOT export your Address Book.
AOL will NOT export your Favorites

Try running a server or even getting their AOL server to work properly. For people who enjoy running and maintaining their own private servers/ftp sites AOL is a huge no-no.

Also try using VPN (virtual Private networking) with AOL and see how much luck you have there.

So in essense, if you want to do anything besides check email and visit cnn.com you will be hard pressed to get it working. I use my connection for all types of things. I run a private server which includes my own email server. I can easily setup temp FTP servers for friends to download stuff. I don't need to "sign on" to use it and I didn't have to install any software for my cable connection. I did a manual registration of my MAC with my ISP.

I forgot to mention that AOL sucks when it comes to sharing a connection. And if you want to use a router with it, you need to make sure its an "AOL approved" router that will work with their lame service. Forget about picking up a cheap hub to use (which can be really handy for sharing a connection) because AOL isn't compatible with them.

There is a reason that both AOL and M$N are two of the lowest rated ISP's in the industry. They may be popular, but their service sucks and is very restrictive. Check out Broadband Reports for the lowdown on just how big a pain in the ass AOL really is. Check out the AOL forums and listen to people who have and use AOL and you will see what I'm talking about. Make sure to check out the M$N forums also for a good laugh lol."



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2004-05-07 11:16 ]</font>

[Ness]

Sorry it took me so long to respond, but I was wrapped up in somethign else.




On 2004-05-06 16:46, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:

To each, his own, I suppose. But I'd wager that AOL's network covers more ground, as far as the services that are provided by it.



Meh. It's your money, not mine.



Let's also consider that with broadband, AOL provides a CD-quality radio service, streaming video for AOL-exclusive interviews and performances by popular artists, news video, and other similar services; all with high-clarity. I can personally testify that this was a very pleasent way to see Michelle Branch perform.

http://launch.yahoo.com




You've over-estimated. Here's how the pricing goes--

Unlimited dial-up for $23.90 a month.
Unlimited Broadband and unlimited dial-up for $24.95 a month.
Unlimited Broadband and 5 hours of dial-up for $14.95 a month (I believe this is the "Bring Your Own Access" plan).
(Source (http://www.aol.com/price_plans/index.adp))

It's not the cheapest service, no, but it is indeed, a premium service. They don't cut corners to get you stuff for cheap.


Yeah they don't cut corners......

...unless you need help.




I've had MSN screw up on me when trying to send files, as much as AIM has. Neither one is terribly stable for that purpose. When you e-mail a file between two mailboxes on AOL, you know that it is going to get there, and you don't have to wait for them to sign on to send it to them, either. Which is kinda the point of e-mail. You just send it to them, and they can download it at their leisure. File sharing through messengers is no substitute. Like I said, if you had it available to you, you'd use it. Unless you avoid e-mail whereever possible.


Well I haven't had problems with MSN ever so I guees it's just who you are sending it to.

I use e-mail, but not as much as i use IM programs. Besides, I seriously doubt that I would occupy so many gigabytes wroth of space.




The world is full of idiots. That's my point. It's not limited to just AOL. It's just that the highest concentration of them are those who're still going through puberty.


Sure they aren't limited to just AOL. but that still doesn't chnage the fact that most of them are from AOL.




How is it any different from anyone else that provides net access? I mean, my goodness, most ISPs, all you have to do is hit the Internet Explorer button, and they're good to go-- already on the web. With AOL you have to load the software, get online, then figure out where you're going from there. Sort of a catch-all. Most activity is contained within AOL's software, because it's not immediately grabbing your attention that you can get onto the rest of the web. Furthermore, don't blame AOL that they're letting idiots loose all over the place, blame the parents that let their idiot kids get out onto the web, by not tinkering with the Parental Controls. If they're smart enough to figure out how to get around those, then they're smart enough to handle themselves elsewhere.


I've found several posts on this forum and several others that prove otherwise.




I'd refrain from claiming that they are completely withheld. There are those that venture out. The bottom of the barrel don't get very far. Like I've pointed out before-- it's much easier to go to the net with a standard ISP, than it is with AOL. It's the difference between clicking one button on the desktop to get to the 'net, and having to load up a program, sign on, then figure out which picture will take you to the embedded web browser if you click on it. So, consider again, which requires more time, thought and effort?


I still say IE because it just opens up the internet. You have to decide from there where you want to go. With AOL, it takes you to a menu that just shows everything to you.




I've officially been here since May 13th, 2001, though I lurked for a number of months before that.

And I'd like to point out: He's not here anymore, is he?


Sure, but there have been several idiots around to take his place.


Like I said, we have moderators here that do a rather thorough job of keeping PSO World clean of people who seem to be incapable of behaving intelligently on a forum.


Yeah, they clear them out after they have done weeks (or even months) worth of damage to the community.




Furthermore, I've been here long enough to see the quality of that moderation improve, as well.

That's up for debate.




Yes, and my address is [email protected]. Considering that I make a concerted effort to provide a clear argument using valid points, and use proper spelling and grammar, it should be worth observing that AOL is not exclusively the access provider of idiots.


I never said it was.


Just because you had a few bad experiences with some 12 and 13 year olds, or a few 25 and 26 year olds living in their parents' basements because they're too dumb to get a proper job, doesn't mean that AOL is a bad service, nor does it mean that it is a cursed brand name.

I never said it was cursed, I was saying that most of the idiots on the net use AOL. Why? Because "it's so easy."


If AOL didn't provide service to retards, you'd be complaining that Comcast or SBC or some other extremely common access provider gives access to retards. AOL itself has nothing to do with it.

I seriously doubt that becasue SBC and Comcast don;t spoon feed the internet to you like AOL does.




At the price of losing the premium quality of the service. Just like ice cream-- you can buy the cheap, generic stuff, and you might be satisfied with it, and it's all you need. But if you buy the premium stuff, you'll pay a little more, and get a higher quality product. Maybe you don't need a higher quality product to be satisfied, and that's fine. To each, his own, but you'd never claim the generic stuff to be of a higher quality because it is indeed, cheaper. You may prefer it, you may like it better, but that doesn't change the fact that it's made from cheaper resources with cheaper equipment, and is altogether, as a result, a cheaper product.


I'm sorry, but quality is based on more than just price and the materials used to make it. That's why "high quality" watches only last a few weeks and "low quality" plastic watches will last years. People think that just because something is more expensive or says "high quality" or "premium" means it is. This is not true. As far as food goes, quality is based on taste and/or nutrional valuse, not on what was used to make it.


AOL can charge the prices that they charge because the services they provide are worth the price they charge. The people paying for these services are typically the head of household, and they typically own their own homes, which means that they had to be intelligent enough to have jobs that enables them to afford that suburban residence. These are not dumb people, they are business-minded, and they pay for these services because they want them. If you are not interested in what AOL has to offer, then that's fine, but do recognize that it is indeed, a premium service. That $24 a month or so pays for access to a huge host of things; virtually every service you would spent hours hunting down on the net can be navigated to within minutes. Looking for new parts for your computer? That won't take long to find. Plane tickets? It's filed away under the Travel channel. Phone numbers? Got that, too. Games? There's a whole channel devoted to that. Technical support for your computer? There's information readily available, and if that's not good enough, then there's an entire series of chatrooms devoted to it. Business stocks? Got it. Need to set up a video conference? It can be done. Send a text message to someone's pager or cell phone? Not a problem! Heck, you can do that just with AIM, and it won't cost you a penny to do it, either. Need an organizer that you can access from any internet-enabled computer you may find yourself in front of? Got that, in addition to a fully-loaded address book, stored online. Maybe you're simpler, and you just want to send flowers to someone special. Well, with AOL's software, even THAT is only a few clicks away.

MSN and Yahoo.



They provide fast access to virtually anything you'd want to do, and MSN doesn't accomplish very much in the way of competing. It saves you time, and it's convenient. That's the whole point of making it a premium service.



Ummm MSN does all the things you meantioned above and so does Yahoo, and guess what? I don't have to pay a dime for it. So if you want to continue paying for something you can get free then by my guest, it's your money, not mine.