I detest AOL

[blind to truth]

I have AOL 5.0 and it is the crappiest service in the world.Its very slow,the browser is dumbed down to were a 4 year old could use it,if you want to go in a decent chat room some idiot will come in with rampage tools and start scrolling or something,and worse of all is the fact that i get signed off constantly sometimes.but its the only ISP in yuma,AZ(i think) if there was a free ISP here i would use it and let my parents use AOL.
-my .02

P.S.....The spam you get on AOL is completely uneccessary

[Warthog]

And you're just noticing this? http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Quiting AOL is just a quick phone call away...
http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif
Warthog

[Gomer]

Blind, first of all, no one says you have to use aol's browser, You can browse with anything you want while online.

Slow? I get 5-6K sustained on a regular basis with it, and that is with a standard 56k setup on crappy phone wiring.

No one makes you go in the chat rooms.... Do you want to play games, or surf the web?

As for spam.... I get one piece per day 2-3 tops. What are we doing different, who knows. Maybe check some of your prefrences under marketing.

Oh ya, I can stay online over 36 hours without a disconnect.

[blind to truth]

i like some chat rooms to talk to my friends(yes i have friends hehe),i can only go 5 hours without the common dissconect

[Warthog]

What are we doing different, who knows

That's the thing. Many AOL users get spam. Note, I did not say all. When I had AOhell *shudder* for a month, I got spam and my family got spam at our separate email addresses. All my friends with AOL get spam. On the contrary, my aunt doesn't get junk email.

Do you want to play games...

Lets just say that if you're on AOL and attempting to play muliplayer, don't come into games I'm in. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Warthog

[Snuffy!]

My ISP is cool (Dingo Blue), they are $25 Australian a month, which is about $13 American, and there is no killer Daemon. Some of my friends using it, have been connected for something like 2 months, constant! Tis sweet.

[Gomer]

When refering to playing games, I was refering to chat rooms.... I have only been in an aol chat room twice in my hmmm.... 5 or so years with aol. I wasn't impressed. If you want to chat with your friends, can't you set up an invite only chat room? I believe the term is private.

Multiplayer gaming? I have only played UO with aol, nothing else ever. My ping was under 200. I know Warthog far from impressive, but it got the job done.

I think the spam thing is related to going into chat rooms. I think they can hop in a room, generate a mailing list and be gone quicklike.

[GroundZero3]

when i lived in Hawaii i used AOL and I'll tell you it is a crappy service. i had two accounts because supposably i was trading porn i asked when this was and it was the time i was grounded from the fricken computer! when i moved to Va we were still using AOL but my mom said if cable came about and i paid for all the network equipment that she will pay for cable. so about three months ago we got cable and when i uninstalled it from my computer i just left a sigh of relief when it said completed. i only thing i seen good come out of AOL is AIM. its a nice little instant message program. I remember when i was AOL i got into the scollers, punters, and all those other little progs. then they came out with version 4.0 which was **** and so is 5.0 i feel sorry for you blind but if thats the only Internet out there then at least you have Internet. be happy i think AOL would be a great company if they didn't pass out so many **** trials and give free hours. there the biggest but there *****! Stalkers onLine.

JaYsin

[CMonster]

I quit AOL because it did not allow me to connect with Linux. Other than that it was okay service out here in SoCAL because there are a lot of local access numbers to choose - if one is slow I simply went to another.

Spam? Set your mail controls to receive mail ONLY from those on your approved list - which means you will have to add people before you can receive email from them. Better yet get a Yahoo/other email account.

Pop-up adds? Adjust your marketing preferences to not show this unwanted advertising.

[brandon184]

I can't say I've used AOL, nor do I ever plan to.

I hear not using it is a good thing... http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

- Brandon

[chipbgt]

The first step is admitting that you have a problem.

[FireWrks]

Yeah AOL is simple, why do you think so many people use it? Nothing wrong with that as well. In some ways it has forced other ISPs to get their act together. How many times have you tried to get e-mail from your service only to find something is wrong? A few years ago it was normal to have a down ISP everyday. ... Now, if everybody knew what they were doing and also bought the best stuff out there (service and things), do you think we would need techs? Lets hear it for dumb people, they keep many others employed. ... The ease of use also makes it easy to travel the country and still be able to connect on another computer without coughing up big bucks or configuring. Try that with a ma' and pop ISP. ... And speaking of ma' and pop, some places don't have them either. What do you do then? ... The funny thing about this post is how some folks are so knowledgeble and complain, yet they don't set their controls right, i.e. avoid spam, or know how to stay logged on without getting punted. ... $9.95.month is fine by me. I can veg out, chat and do whatever. For serious web surfing, on-line games and stuff, on the consumer level, nothing beats DSL.

[grunt]

"Hello, my name is _____ and I'm an AOL user."

I consider it a good day if I get someone off of AOL. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

[KAknight]

With AOHell you can set it where AOL will not sell your e-mail account to anyone. Alos try deleting you cookies.

[voogru]

AO-hell huh

You must have took that from me or something!

[Gomer]

Warthog--"the tech support personal are VERY knowledgable" How great is this ISP if you have to deal with tech support lol. I have never had an issue I had to take up with any kind of tech support at AOL. I can check and compose mail anytime, anywhere on any computer hooked to the internet. Can you do that with your ISP?

You can get on your ISP without a name and password? How do they keep track of everyone?

Warthog, tell me something good about your ISP that my aol doesn't offer me.

Mntsnow---where are you to get my back on this one?

Oh ya, I can autoresume downloads (through aol) with no additional software. I can also set it up to dial whenever I want to retrive mail or download a file in the wee hours of the night.

[grunt]

What's this?? You mean some people with half a brain actually TAKE UP for AOL??

Hey - the ease of use does give me a little added job security http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

But, take a user who has been on AOL for a couple of years. Boot the machine go into device manager. See those 5 different versions of the "AOL Adapter"? Ok, now take a look at the hdd, in Program Files. Hmmm, lets's see - Aol 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 4.3, 4.8, and now the all new 5.0!! All in different folders taking up space and helping to clog an already defenseless hdd and registry.

[This message has been edited by grunt (edited 08-13-2000).]

[wtp]

and since there are soooo many people ( a few million people ), you can virtually log in, in some made up account, and log on someone else's account.(just to show how much AOL sucks)

wtp

[Gomer]

Grunt, are we knocking the users, or the ISP in this thread? I will agree with you that most AOL users know jack squat about computers. But putting them on a local ISP won't do a thing to help them with that. Like I said above--5 or so years with AOL. I only have one version on my computer. It has never done me wrong.

wtp: Try saying that again, I didn't understand any of that. Maybe it is because I use AOl that I don't understand you, but I doubt it. Maybe it is the ISP you are using. Who knows.

[Warthog]

About the tech support: I know from the reports they send out about viruses and such. I've never needed to talk to them personally. Nice try though. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Password deal: Yes, I do have a name and password, but it doesn't necessarily have to be my email address.

I can check and compose mail anytime, anywhere on any computer hooked to the internet.

Even without AOL installed? (actual question)

I can using Hotmail http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif at literally any computer that is online.

hmmmmmm...I don't have to deal with all the ads in AOL. I mean, when you first log on. They have their dumb community page right there. Also some ads (2?) pop up - I guess you can take these off in pref.? I can dial up with any browser - I don't first have to use another one.

Yeah, I can do the stop/resume download ting with Gozilla. Downloading something is no big deal IMO...

In my book, AOL and Macs are one in the same: the both go for ease of use and cater to the "non-techie" audience.

Fire,

The funny thing about this post is how some folks are so knowledgeble and complain, yet they don't set their controls right, i.e. avoid spam, or know how to stay logged on without getting punted

I was one who complained about spam. I don't have AOL and never will. I did at one point in my "jr. techie" career for a month. I am no dummie.

$9.95 per month? You have a limit, right? I always thought unlimited was $20.

Warthog

[Gutter Ball]

Heh, I told my girlfriend's NOT to use it, but they insisted they'd just use their "free" hours. So off they go, chattting away...then their bill comes $200Canadian!
After their "free" hours, they got charged like $3.25/hour!!! What a RIP!!

[grunt]

Gomer - I am knocking AOL, as well as some of it's high-class users. I deal with these people every day.

If you have been on AOL for 5 yrs and like it then by all means, continue!

The "half a brain" thing was meant as a compliment, BTW http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[Gomer]

Yup, even without AOL installed through their web page. I can also use AIM through their webpage using just a browser.

So you have to install additional software, gozilla? Isn't that spyware? If anything it is more software bloat.

It is free for me, always has been. My mom used to pick up the tab. Now she spends like 2 hours a week (which she enjoys) helping with some sort of community, so we get it free. Other then that I think it is 21.95 UL. Which, for the non tech user, is not a bad deal considering the steps they tkae to make things easy, convienent, and comfortable.

[Gomer]

Grunt: Tell me where AOL is causing me problems, what it is doing that is so horrible, for me personally. I just don't see it. I understand completely about incompetent people. They use more than AOL to foul up their computers. What is so awful about the service for me?

[grunt]

For you? Gomer, I never said anything about YOU. Why take it so personal? As said before: If you like AOL then use it. I do not like AOL, therefore I do not use it.

It sucks in my opinion because I have to clean up after the software, and I will continue to NOT recommend the service every chance I get. I didn't mean for that post to sound like it was aimed at you because it wasn't. I apologize if I offended you. Truce? http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by grunt (edited 08-10-2000).]

[Gomer]

No ofeence taken grunt. Things are cool =) I guess maybe I was taking it a bit personal. AOL and I just get along real well. In all of my posts, I try to keep things level headed and all so this wasn't headed in the wrong direction if that is what you were worried about =)

One thing I forgot to mention. I don't have to deal with anything with the word "outlook" in it. Maybe thats what all the warnings you (warthog) get from tech support are about. Every virus that has ever made the headlines seems to exploit Outlook. I made it go away on ym computer as I have no need for it. Hell, maybe I am incompetent because I have never had to set up a piece of software to read mail. (that was a serious comment, no sarcasm)

To be honest with you, I am not sure what I would do for an ISP if I ever got cut of my AOL. Probably a free one (which suck, freewwweb worked for me but is gone). I use them out of neccessity when someone else in my family is using AOL. I guess another thing going for me is that AOL will probably be around for awhile. I don't have to worry about them folding up overnight and leaving me high and dry.



[This message has been edited by Gomer (edited 08-10-2000).]

[Warthog]

lol Grunt http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif That's a good one. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Fire, I am extremely happy with my local ISP. It is never busy, fast (5-6k sec), the tech support personal are VERY knowledgable - I've never had a problem with this service whatsoever. AOL has absolutely nothing for me. When you go online, you have to have a freakin' screen name and password.

"So many ______ in the world, no wonder it's number one."

Fill in the blank. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

One of you diehards, tell me something good about AOL that my local ISP doesn't offer me.

Warthog

[FireWrks]

Nope, no limit, I stay on as long as I like and I don't have to stress about it. ... The nice thing about AOL for me is, despite all of the idiots and perverts, all the different kinds of people from differnt walks of life I can make friends with. Yeah its a no brainer :-).

Warthog, no ads huh? Sounds like the old days of the command line. Btw, how often is your ISP down? A friend of mine left AOL for a local ISP, then jumped to another one, and another. It was always something, spyware, viruses, or down servers. If you have a good ISP you are lucky. Most people I know have some gripe or another. I left mine because it could not deliver e-mail in a timely manner or was often down. The company that bought them out is even cheaper than they were and serves no better. Bad billing, dumb techs, long waits on hold while getting support, or bad equipment are things I keep hearing from other people too. ... Yeah I am new to this site, but I ain't no fool either. When I want to get on the net, all I have to do is open my browser. No log-ins, no names, no numbers. And when I want to download a file or program, a few minutes is all I need. 47MB Quake3 demo in under 10 minutes ain't bad is it? ... Its all good. ISPs work for some. For some of us, though, they are too unreliable. DSL (without an ISP) and AOL work for me.

[bdunn]

Try looking here.
http://www.aolwatch.org/aolwatch11.htm

Actually I havent used AOL since version 1.2. There are much better ISPs I was using http://www.netkonnect.net till I moved to NY, out of their service area, and now I am using http://www.libertybay.com No problems with either of these except Netkonnect's service area isn't large.

[Warthog]

I have a good ISP. No down times. Ever. I've been with them for 2 1/2 years. Just because I use Outlook, doesn't mean my computer will be infested with viruses. The only way that I will get a virus in my system is if I click on it. Not to be pompous, but I'm smart enough to know not to click on "Love Letter", "Happy New Year", etc. Besides, it's not necessarily Outlooks fault. If you were a virus distributor, wouldn't you want to distribute your viruses to the most used software in the world? That would increase your chances of infesting a high number of people.

Warthog

[Gomer]

If I move I don't have to worry about hunting down a new, reliable ISP. AOL is everywhere.

Warthog: I was under the impression that some viri could spread themseleves through Outlook with nary a click of the mouse. Something about "preview" being turned on or something. With AOL I can open any mail and not worry about being infected.

"Besides, it's not necessarily Outlooks fault. If you were a virus distributor, wouldn't you want to distribute your viruses to the most used software in the world? That would increase your chances of infesting a high number of people."

If that were the case, AOL has 19 million users ripe for the picking. Hell if it were that easy to be done, it would have been several times over out of spite for the service. Some of those viruses that hit Outlook users scare the hell out of me, and the authors are getting more and more crafty by the day. I sleep soundly knowing that email attacks aren't a threat.

[blind to truth]

well if you like AOL than thats ok.Im using Some free ISP that i found.Lycos free ISP.The banners suck but i havnet been disconneted yet.I used aol today though http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/frown.gif hehe but it was AOL 3.0 germany.More interesting then 5.0 http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[greenlion]

I use aol. I've been having connection problems before, or being kicked out unceremoniuosly, but it's been good since about six months ago. It's been relatively trouble free and there were times that I kept it on for two days straight downloading mp3s from newsgroups.

I use it for it's ease of use. When I went to visit in my old country, there was no problem accessing my account, emails, etc.

AOL could be better but its just as good or better than other ISPs. The only reason why its the favorite punching bag is that it's the biggest thing around. Nobody would bother knocking down the little guy. Just look at Microsoft

[tangluva]

*laughing at grunt's AOL banner*

[Mntsnow]

Well I personally think that the AOL Sucks threads really turn off people that come to get help....They will see stuff like that and go...Sheeeze I cant tell them I use AOL...They will call me stupid and stuff like that....

Is that what we want SysOpt to be known as? AOL bashers?

ps. This is MY personal Opinion.

[This message has been edited by Mntsnow (edited 08-13-2000).]

[BFlurie]

I agree that AOL5 is junky (I use AOL4), but other companies' "upgrades" are junk too. My networking components just have one AOL adapter & TCP/IP protocol. Just one AOL folder. I've got several screen names -- one for anynomous lurking (no email), another for email receiving, another for general web browsing w/restricted email. I can run thru their (apparently) big proxy servers & browse the web quickly for a dinky 28.8 modem. I can change ISPs anytime I want -- and I will.

[spark25]

I don't hate AOL or its users,but this thread might give those users an idea where to look first when something goes wrong with their computer;and to read what an AOL install does to a perfectly good running test computer you can go here. (http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/2000/02.htm)
Also you could go to one of the best broadband speed tests on the net and read the warning above the start button on the test here (http://www.dslreports.com/stest/0)

[This message has been edited by spark25 (edited 08-15-2000).]

[Ygor]

Hmmm, dunno why others have the problems mentioned here and at Langa's.
I usually check all email once a week on all names, and it's been quite a while since I had more than 2 pieces of spam in any of them.
I have my preferences set so I only see ads when out on the net. It's been so long since I set that up I've forgotten where it was.

Yes, since aol is so big, there are some who just want to be disruptive and spoil it for others. If this happens in an area you would like to continue to visit, just use Notify AOL. You may also write to the forum management with some examples. There's also the ignore option.

Some areas are just more lax than others. The areas I frequent do not tolerate scrolling, rampage or punting software, or even some of the language that appears here at times. When those who want to do that do come in, they just don't stay long. If that sounds too strict, many "new" people comment on how refreshing it is compared to wherever else they've been on aol.

As for what aol does to windows, if that's what it took to get rid of the punters that disappeared with 4.0 & 5.0, I don't mind much. My system is stable.

[jshaw34]

I used to get kicked off AOL all the time until I got smart and downloaded free software to keep me on.Its simple! Ive tried a bunch of differnt fee ISP,s and none of them loaded pages as as quick as AOL even if they connected at 50000 bps. A freind of mine has GALAXY for 14 bucks a month and says it is great but of coarse I can,t get a local number thru them.go figure. I don,t know I would not say I am totally thrilled with them but until I find better I will just stick with them.