AOL To Dump All Broadband Customers Within The Next Year...

[ShotgunSteven]

SOURCE

AOL is telling its broadband customers in nine southern states to hit the road.

AOL broadband subscribers in Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina have until Jan. 17 to find another provider. If they don't, they'll get switched back to an AOL dial-up account.

Grandma's favorite ISP is expected to phase out all its broadband customers over the next year. "Want a better Internet?" Indeed, just not over AOL broadband, apparently.

 

[mpitts]

AOL broadband is great.

If you are a moron.

 

[Hammer]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
SOURCE

AOL is telling its broadband customers in nine southern states to hit the road.

AOL broadband subscribers in Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina have until Jan. 17 to find another provider. If they don't, they'll get switched back to an AOL dial-up account.

Grandma's favorite ISP is expected to phase out all its broadband customers over the next year. "Want a better Internet?" Indeed, just not over AOL broadband, apparently.

what do they plan on doing? staying as a dialup isp? don't they charge like 24 bucks a month?

 

[Achtung]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
I ran multiple searches, can't believe no one else posted this...

Does anyone here use AOL?

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: Achtung

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
I ran multiple searches, can't believe no one else posted this...

Does anyone here use AOL?

Not to access the forums. :laugh: I just hope this is a sign of the impending demise of AOL.

 

[Deeko]

hahah go AOL

 

[GasX]

AOL users don't deserve broadband...

 

[amish]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
AOL users don't deserve broadband...

bwahahahaha

 

[40Hands]

worst company evar.

 

[Ikonomi]

Wow, AOL really sucks ass.

 

[Rallispec]

read this in the paper this morning-- aperently they even acknowledged that thier prices were a bit steep compared to the local provider bell south.

 

[J0hnny]

I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

They cater to the dumbest common denominator.

 

[Rallispec]

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

i think it was just a price thing--- AOL costs so much more than anything else-- and all you really get in return is some useless features (useless to me.. i'm sure people out there like them)


i never understood the hatred either though. I grew up with AOL.

 

[no0b]

Also the whole I need to run their program/browser to do anything online.

 

[Achtung]

Originally posted by: Rallispec

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

i think it was just a price thing--- AOL costs so much more than anything else-- and all you really get in return is some useless features (useless to me.. i'm sure people out there like them)


i never understood the hatred either though. I grew up with AOL.

I think it was a combination of price and the way they handled content. I used it for a while too, like 1994-96. But then once the web started to take off, there was no reason to go with AOL, since all their content was available on the web for cheaper. People do forget the early days though when you needed AOL, Prodigy, or CompuServe to have a user-friendly online experience.

 

[Sideswipe001]

Price; also that the average AOL user is an idiot. Not to mention that the old AOL software in windows 98 was just as hard to remove as a virus.

I knew a guy back in my Warcraft 2 days who banned all AOL users from accessing his website. He ran the best War2 website on the net at the time, and all of the idiotic e-mails he got from AOLers caused him to ban the entire range of AOLers. Had an alternate page that loaded for them telling them they weren't welcome.

 

[shuan24]

Originally posted by: Achtung

Originally posted by: Rallispec

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

i think it was just a price thing--- AOL costs so much more than anything else-- and all you really get in return is some useless features (useless to me.. i'm sure people out there like them)


i never understood the hatred either though. I grew up with AOL.

I think it was a combination of price and the way they handled content. I used it for a while too, like 1994-96. But then once the web started to take off, there was no reason to go with AOL, since all their content was available on the web for cheaper. People do forget the early days though when you needed AOL, Prodigy, or CompuServe to have a user-friendly online experience.

No kidding. Also, their business model could be dated back 10 years ago and there would be no change. Uh, this is not the days of 56k....They need to quit trying to pretend that they still own every online user in the universe.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Apparently AOL has this policy of "optimising" bandwidth by forcing webpage images to go through sh!t-quality JPG compression. Maybe they're now "optimising" internet connection speeds as well. :disgust:

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: Achtung
I think it was a combination of price and the way they handled content. I used it for a while too, like 1994-96. But then once the web started to take off, there was no reason to go with AOL, since all their content was available on the web for cheaper. People do forget the early days though when you needed AOL, Prodigy, or CompuServe to have a user-friendly online experience.

I was using an independent ISP in 1995... as well as BBS's... and I had set up online connections for quite a few other people before 1995... god I'm glad I never hear the name "Trumpet Winsock" any more.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

Their software blows. I had AOL for 3 months back in 1994 when I first got internet access. Dumped it for Netcom IIRC and have been on Cox cable modem for about 6 or so years now.

 

[PanzerIV]

Awww...whatever shall the poor AOL 'tards do now? They may have to user their brains and switch over to other ISPs so they can continue having open connections for trojan infections, viruses and in general being every hackers wet dream.

 

[TreyRandom]

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

Yeah, anything except...
1) Using plain-old Dial-Up Networking rather than their bloated software
2) Dialing into a VPN
3) Using a third-party e-mail program to download messages locally, such as Outlook
4) Accessing Anandtech
5) Keeping your personal information private
6) Cancelling service immediately upon request without having to argue with three people or challenge unauthorized credit-card charges
7) Paying less than $23.90 for dial-up access

 

[isasir]

Is this because they voted for Bush?

 

[mpitts]

Originally posted by: TreyRandom

Originally posted by: J0hnny
I never understood the hatred for using AOL, I could pretty much do anything I need with AOL vs. any other ISP...

Yeah, anything except...
1) Using plain-old Dial-Up Networking rather than their bloated software
2) Dialing into a VPN
3) Using a third-party e-mail program to download messages locally, such as Outlook
4) Accessing Anandtech
5) Keeping your personal information private
6) Cancelling service immediately upon request without having to argue with three people or challenge unauthorized credit-card charges
7) Paying less than $23.90 for dial-up access

While I agree with the other items in your list, I have connected to a VPN through AOL in the last 6 months.