It used to be nice and simple. I’d click on the bookmark and it would take me right into my AOL folder on the Comics and Animation Forum.
Then AOL “improved” it.
Since then, getting to my AOL folder is the most cumbersome task I undertake in the course of a day. Each step of the way takes four, five, six tries before it works properly. Otherwise I just get a blank screen and have to backtrack and start over.
Perhaps they’ve arranged it this way to “force” me to upgrade. I don’t do well with “forced.” What it might force me to do is dump AOL altogether because it’s getting just that irritating.
PAD
• 
Dump AOL, please. It is a horrible service. Slow, bulky, and hids nice little “things” on your computer when you install it.
Dump AOL, get a cable modem if you have that option in your area. You will never regret it.
Tim
OH! And get a Mac 🙂
A bunch of friends and I used to be huge posters on the old CompuServe MST3K forum. We loved the intuitive interface and the dependability.
The day it was announced that AOL would buy CS, we started making plans to leave. Those of us who straggled on our way out the door got to experience many of the same pleasures you’re enjoying now on AOL.
Do yourself the favor and get out now. You’ll be very glad you did.
Yes, dump AOL. As far as the upgrades, like my friend (the former head computer guy at my day job) Jim Prince says: it’s like the Star Trek movies, the odd numbered ones are bad.
Dump AOL. My wife and I made the change in the summer of 1999 when AOL was having all those connection problems because so many people had signed up.
We were nervous about doing without all the, and I use this word loosely, help AOL offered. But, once we got the cable modem, and got used to Internet Explorer and Outlook, we were thrilled.
Doing without AOL offers a wide range of choices in however you choose to format your internet experience. Plus, you can still log into AOL boards and such even without being a member.
Everyone I know has dumped AOL, and dial-up accounts altogether, and got DSL.
Can’t beat it.
I’m right behind you on leaving AOL. I’ve been with them for 8 years, now, and it’s just getting more and more awkward.
They just try to do too much for you. It’s okay for beginners, but gets old after a while for the rest of us.
What? Leave the “World Wide Wow?” It’s an icon baby…
AOL is fine… but they suffer from every other software/ISP problem: they keep on adding and adding until it becomes impossible to do small stuff.
I, personally, can’t live without my cable modem… (I take it on walks and everything.)
Travis
My recommendation is to do what is most comfortable for you. I’ve had AOL since it was Applelink and was running it on an Apple //e (with a 5 lb., 1 MB hard drive that took over a minute to warm up and was larger than the computer itself). Over the years, AOL has caused me intermittent trouble, but it eventually gets fixed. The thing for me is, I’ve also tried Earthlink, MSN, and a couple others that I do not believe are still around, and they all have their own problems at one time or another. I’ve found each service has its own unique inconveniences. However, those problems may appear to diminish or exxagerate with each individual depending on your needs. The biggest difference to me always seems to be cost, and if you want unlimited service, they all fall within one or two dollars of each other.
Honestly, my primary interests on the internet are web-surfing (or drowning, as the case may be), and email. For that, AOL is as good as any other service out there. I don’t change for roughly the same reason people don’t change their phone numbers frequently. I’ve had the same email address since, I think, 1991 and everybody that’s ever known me can get in touch with me there.
Elie
My brother just made the mistake of upgrading his AOL account to v8. Its even worse than the old version. Think it’s hard to get to anything now? Well, they’ve made it even more confusing by messing with the layout and changing the locations of everything else.
After helping him with his computer’s settings, I thanked God I switched my system over to cable years ago.
OMG.
DUMP AOL.
I think what you really mean is you’re being “forced to upgrade to DSL or cable”, right? 🙂
I recently read that AOL/Time Warner estimated that they would lose 250,000 subscribers this year. What’s one more?
Peter,
There’s a reason several of older irc’ers referred to AOL as Amatuers On Line….
Find something easier for you to deal with.
Padguy,
Let me say for the record that the ONLY thing keeping me on AOL is your message board. Everything else I do outside of AOL.
You leave, and I’m right behind you (which suits me fine. I’d upgrade to a faster DSL plan elsewhere).
Please keep me informed if you leave. Any suggestions on good DSL or cable modem providers in North NJ?
–Brad
I left AOHELL 4 years ago. I was nervous initially about jumping into the web without the safety net and “ease” of AOHELL, but I got over it after about 5 minutes of being free of those bozos. Haven’t looked back since.
Everything’s soooooo much simpler, and I’m quite happy with my DSL hookup through earthlink.net.
—Roland
To those who say AOL is “as good as any other service out there” for Web-surfing:
You may not be aware that AOL does NOT provide a direct connectin to the Internet.
What this means, practically speaking, is that they often serve up cached versions of sites out of stored files on their systems, rather than sending each request out to the Internet to check for a new version.
What this means is that you may not be seeing the most current version of a given site when you’re browsing with AOL.
This is my single biggest qualm with the service, and the main reason I’ll never go back.
The AOLTW conglomerate is unfortunately still getting my money as they own the local cable network and thus, my cable moden service. But I’m using Road Runner, which IS a direct connection. So far (after about a year), I’ve been happy with the service.
If you want dial-up access, find a local ISP instead. You can usually get cheaper, better service.
I dumped AOL about a year after I got it, what with all the technical problems, and the adult spam I was receiving it was just a big headache.
If you want to go with a dial up service, you might try earthlink which I used for a while with no problems. I could use either netscape or explorer as my browser with no problem.
However since I started using the DSL line I have had no problems at all. It’s great for downloads and all the web pages load up much faster.
I would go with Verizon for the DSL or possibly the cable modem, Earthlinks DSL wasn’t so hot and ther technical support for it was lousy.
Peter —
I haven’t had any problem with the new system, so what I do maybe won’t work for you.
But the next time you’re on your AOL board, click “Add to My Boards” (on the right side of the screen) Then Click on “My Boards” (on the top of the screen) and bookmark it.
From that point on, the “My Boards” bookmark should take you to a list of your selected boards, with an update as to whether there are new posts in it. If there are, you can click right in.
At least, this is how it works for me. I’m on a Mac, though, so I figure I have the most backward AOL service possible.
kdb
Well…for the past few years I’ve used AOL pretty much exclusively thru Flashsessions (or “Automatic AOL” as I think they call it now) for mail/boards/newsgroups. As a result, I’ve not seen any of these “improvements” folks have been so fond of as it all looks the same as always to me. Of course, I’ve realized for a while that it’s been money down the drain as I could use Outlook (ugh) and a few Hotmail addresses for the same purpose. I’ve finally (thanks to a combination of things) decided to give AOL the heave-ho. I’ve been on AOL for ages with really no problems, but it’s past time to go.
I wasn’t able to download any of the AOL comic board contents via Automatic Download for several days now.
I never have any trouble with AOL. I don’t pay through the nose (the annual plan hasn’t had a rate incerase in a while). I also don’t use most of what AOL offers, but I am pretty happy with things the way they are as I don’t want to change my e-mail address and cannot afford a DSL line. I am, however, still using AOL 5.0.
I do miss the days, though, when the DC boards were on AOL and when I never knew who would show up in the chatrooms. Now, there is not really any DC chat at AOL, and I have no idea where it went to.
Well, I figure you owe AOL for cancelling Young Justice (I’ll consider Fallen Angel equivalent to Supergirl for the purposes of this), so cancelling AOL would seem to be a fair turnabout. 🙂
Besides, you do realize you’ve been supporting the Atlanta Braves with your money the past few years, right?
I’ve been having a hard time getting into the Peter David board on AOL ever since they upgraded it too. I don’t care for this “improvement” either.
At this point the only thing I still use AOL for is my e-mail. I have some non-AOL e-mail addresses, but they’re always web-based and more cumbersome than AOL’s mail.
-Fer
Oh, I SO support dumping AOL. I switched to cable modem 2 or 3 years ago and have never looked back. I find anything AOL could do you can do somewhere else, faster and easier. PLus Outlook Express is mad spiffy.
Do AOL use the same TV ads in the states as they do here in the UK? We’re treated to a woman wandering around in a dress covered in constantly scrolling information. It looks like Willow absorbing magic from the books at the end of Buffy Season 6. Except… it’s awful.
Never had a serious problem with AOL. About the worst in recent months was a bug in spell check after we upgraded to 8.0. But we beta test the new builds, and that seemed to work itself out quickly. But if you don’t dig AOL, try something else…everyone should use what they’re most comforatble with.
Although I gotta say (and I’m not refering to this thread here as most invovled seem to be giving their personal preference and that’s about it), that I never understood the pretentious nature of those that typically bash AOL and it’s users. I come across this often (usually on newsgroups and message boards) and I honestly don’t understand the mindset.
Mr. David –
You may want to wait, at least a couple of months, before you dump AOL.
First, I am not advocating AOL Service, although I do have an AOL account I use sometimes.
Second, the reason I say you need to wait a little bit before you dump AOL has to do with the TV Show Smallville.
“Smallville?” you ask?
Yes, There will be some exclusive 2 minute movies featuring Chloe from Smallville.
At the website:
Kriptonsite.com
There is a report that says the following:
“Smallville: Chloe Chronicles begins April 29 and will run for several weeks leading up to the series finale. The two- to two-and-a-half minute stories will be available only on America Online at keyword: Smallville“
They say this will be reported in the new TV GUIDE on sale this week.
Speaking of Smallville, look for new episodes starting next week. For previews of the new Smallville tune into the end of tonight’s episode, which is “Insurgence”.
Be warned though that at the above mentioned site, there is tons of spoilers for the remaining episodes of Season 2. I read more than I had meant to before I realized I was reading upcoming episodes.
Xyon
Can’t say I ‘m too surprised. For a couple of months straight, AOL was booting me every fifteen minutes. Coupled with the fact that I was only with the service for your Peter David Speaks Board and the DC Comics forum (hmm, wonder how that’s doing now), and I was surfing the web more and more, it just made sense for me to leave. So far the only thing I really miss about leaving is the ability to ask you direct questions and have you respond.
I have that problem everytime Netscape updates. They say it’s an improvement, with more options than ever – but more options also mean more buttons on the browser; and more buttons lead to more confusion; and then finally more confusion leads to repairs for the computer later on.
Simpler is sometimes better. ^_^;
I just thought of something…
If PAD does leave AOL, would AOLTW feel dissed and start doing subtle tricks to attempt to end the “Fallen Angel” comic (published by DC, owned by AOLTW)?
Like, I dunno, a comic book voting campaign?
Naaaaahhhhh.
Like most posters, I say dump AOL. Its been said many times before that the only benefit from AOL was to encourage newbies to get on the net, sort of like training wheels on a bike. Julio made most of my points for me, which is good since I have a major chemistry test I should be cramming for rather than taking this study break to post. However, it has not been mentioned yet about AOL’s incompetence even with simple math. Everyone knows about AOL’s free promo CDs that give you x number of free hours. But one of the CDs (and I kept it because its so amusing, but I’m an engineer, so I have an odd sense of humor anyway) was “2400 hours free.” OK, no biggie there. But the fine print was that you had to use it within 3 months, which is 24 hours a day times 31 days a month (tops, but we can let that slide) times 3 months, which gives you a grand total of. . . 2232 hours. They tried to offer more free hours than you could be online in that time. At least they fixed this mistake in their subsequent trial CDs. But it still shows how smart the people who have control of your net access are. I personally wouldn’t trust them with anything computer related, except a microwave oven. No, not even that.
Just my $.02, back to studying.
Chris
Wow. I haven’t seen this much AOL bashing in years. I’ve been wondering where all of you have been hiding. 😉
Not saying AOL is the best out there, but I haven’t had any problems with it and think version 8.0 works fine (thought 7.0 sucked though).
Also, I have no problems getting to the PAD AOL fodler at all (even after the recent ‘upgrade’). It’s been one of my bookmarks for many versions and I’ve never changed it.
Hmmm….
I guess my BFG didn’t work…. *grabs a staple gun. walks up to troll and staples his/her fingers to the table. Grabs baseball bat. Swings baseball bat at Troll’s fingers. Watches Troll scream in pain.* Guess what I have something for that pain. *takes baseball bat and breaks Troll’s legs* Oh yeah about the AOL thing. Dump it and use IE. Have a nice day Peter
Ok, I vote for passwords.
“Friends don’t let friends use AOL.” Words to live by.
I have no experience with AOL but I’m in the middle of dumnping my dial up service, after a lot of dial up problms, and have switched to a cable modem. This isn’t the first time I have switched services, hopefully it is my last. So far it has been worth it. Good luck with your next service.
“So far the only thing I really miss about leaving is the ability to ask you direct questions and have you respond.”
For that there’s always the alt.fan.peter-david newsgroup, or the “Allpeterdavid” Yahoo group (PAD reads both):
groups.yahoo.com/group/Allpeterdavid
And that group’s moderated, so trolls: don’t bother.
Corey
Peter, I live just across the Sound from you, so I know the ISPs around
here. Optimum online (optonline.com
or cablevision.com) is probably the
best offer around. Just don’t use it
on more than one computer, unless you
use a router. Things might be better on Long Island, but this is the only broadband option available over here.
I have no pronlem acessing aol myself or the peter david board
“Can’t say I ‘m too surprised. For a couple of months straight, AOL was booting me every fifteen minutes. Coupled with the fact that I was only with the service for your Peter David Speaks Board and the DC Comics forum (hmm, wonder how that’s doing now) “
they finally modified the boards and got rid of dead folders
Ok lemme preface this by saying you might just try to delete your bookmark and then add it to the favorites again. ‘Cause that’s working for me. (incidentally Kurt’s “My Board” technique isn’t… everytime I add the board and click on “MY Boards” it still says “No boards are listed in My Boards”…BID)
Anyway, I was one of the first ones urging you to go web-based (which Jackie was furious at me for).
That said, I’d be disappointed if you quit AOL (at least without adding a board to this site), because as cool as the blog is;
1) It doesn’t allow anyone else to start topics (yes, I know that may actually be an attractive feature, but it makes it hard to ask questions since we don’t know how far you read into a blog thread).
2) It’s hard to skim other people’s posts and find ones you’re interested in reading (scrolling through a 100 post thread all lumped together ain’t fun).
3) It’s hard to quote individual posts.
So generally, the blog is less interactive. The AOL board used to be really cool, until all those right-wing wackos invaded. It would be neat if you had a setup like Quesada’s board or even something simpler.
been using aol for (holy god on high) a decade now, and i’ve had no major problems on it, ever. although i get a lot of the “ametuer online” nonsense thrown at me a lot, i’m a computer science major; i know how to “skin” aol and make it sing. that may also be the only reason i’ve never had a problem with it… ;^)
if it’s givin’ ya problems, though, PAD, if you live on long island (i haven’t a clue if you do or not), specifically nassau county, switch to optimum online. it has the competition beat by a mile.
-eD!
oh, yeah, i forget who mentioned it, but the whole “direct connection to the internet” problem is easily fixed with internet explorer or netscape or, my personal fave, opera… you can get out of AOL’s internet and into the “real” one with minimal effort. t.t.f.n.
Being an Ex-AOHELL tech i would suggest to dump them like they were infected with S.A.R.S.!
And trust me, they don’t care about your problem when you call… all we are trained to do is process the call under 7 minutes… how are you supposed to troubleshoot and fix an issue in 7 minutes ? you don’t, you give them a fix, don’t wait to see if it works and get them off the phone to call back with a case number if it doesn’t work so that the next tech can go down the list of other fixes…
I’ve used Earthlink since 1997 (my wife signed up with them when they first appeared) and they will stay with you until it’s fixed! wow! what a concept, right?!
end of rant.
I also forgot this:
I worked for the broadband tech of Aol also and i can tell you that a company who sends you products (in this case DSL modem) knowning very well that there are 75% chances that the modem will overheat within 2 days and die is pathetic.
Dump it.
AOL is the ‘parent’s basement’ of providers and browsers – it’s high time to grow up, move out, and join the real ‘net.
Aside from other probs mentioned above, there are even some sites you simply cannot get to via AOL – but they are just blocked.
As for e-mail, my suggestion would be to avoid Outlook and/or Hotmail – any decent ISP will provide e-mail alternatives (I happen to use both Netscape Messenger and also Eudora, but that’s just me).
As for browsers – Mozilla is tops in my book, but Netscape and Opera are fine for quotidian uses. Explorer ain’t my cuppa tea, but that’s my own anti-Microsoft prejudice more than anything else.
Everyone else said it, and I can’t agree more wholeheartedly. Cable is where it’s at.
Unless you get onto some sweet-o T1 connection somewhere for dirt cheap.
Cable installs almost no software on your computer. It works with Outlook and Internet Explorer, two items you already have anyway (and I even ditched Outlook, since I prefer my web-based email anyway).
Hit the IE icon, and your home page comes up. That simple. No dialup, no wait, not timeouts, nothing like that. You’re always online.
Do make sure you have a good firewall installed (such as ZoneAlarm, for example).
Especially if using any kind of ‘always on’ service.
‘Always connected’ service providers will tout their own system firewalls as protection from ‘outside’ nasties – but those won’t stop anyone on the same connection service (already inside their systems) from possibly intruding onto your computer.
“There’s a reason several of older irc’ers referred to AOL as Amatuers On Line….”
I’ve been an “@” on #Japan for some years in IRC and we’ve been known to block AOL completely because of the volume of idiots coming in from there to cause problems. We refer to it as A**H*les On Line for a reason. And, yes, the pattern of abuse was different from one individual to the next, evidence that it wasn’t just one person using multiple addresses.
As for the ‘improvement’ to AOL, I work in the computer industry and have come to the conclusion that the average designer/programmer’s mantra is “if it ain’t broke, ‘fix’ it until it is.”
Yes, by all means, dump AOL but eschew Outlook and Hotmail. Both are Mikeyshaft products which have been hacked or or have had plenty of viruses written for them. Go with Eudora. I’ve used it as my main mail program at home (Netscrape’s Mail at work) for years and have never regretted it.
Well let’s see if I can offer my thoughts on the subject. Now I live in Israel, and so I use local net connections, and yes, I myself have a cable connection at home. It’s expensive, yes indeed, mainly because I’m so middle-to-working-class myself, but the advantage is that I can load some sites faster than with standard phone connections. And like a few others here, I too agree that a cable connection could be the best idea. But then, what about the browsers, even for email?
Well when it comes to that, you may want to get one from the Earthlink/Mindspring company, which gives you a popup blocker option with it; wish I could get their software where I live, I could sure use it on my computer.
And to add my thoughts on Matt Adler’s posting…
That said, I’d be disappointed if you quit AOL (at least without adding a board to this site), because as cool as the blog is;
It doesn’t allow anyone else to start topics (yes, I know that may actually be an attractive feature, but it makes it hard to ask questions since we don’t know how far you read into a blog thread).
Wait a moment, isn’t this weblog powered by the Malibulist company? If so, then I don’t think AOL’s got anything to do with it.
But you’re certainly right about the following, that it would be wonderful if there could be an actual forum connected with this site as well, and I may know of the perfect FREE SERVER on which to register an account if PAD and Glenn are interested: http://www.proboards.com You can get a free account there, and it’s somewhat similar to Infopop boards, so you could set up 4 or 5 sections there too! What’s everyone think of the possibility of getting a board like the ones available on servers like ProBoards? Who knows, it could probably be quite a cinch. 🙂
Wait a moment, isn’t this weblog powered by the Malibulist company? If so, then I don’t think AOL’s got anything to do with it.
Oh, didn’t mean to imply it did… just that if Peter does get rid of AOL (where he has a board), I hope he adds a forum to this site, since although the blog does “Message of the Day” well, it doesn’t have the interactivity and atmosphere that a traditional board does.
http://www.proboards.com You can get a free account there, and it’s somewhat similar to Infopop boards
Yeah, looks like Bendis’ Image board, the X-Fan boards, and the CrossGen boards. I’m in favor of it.
Avi Green wrote:
Well when it comes to that, you may want to get one from the
Earthlink/Mindspring company, which gives you a popup blocker option with it; wish I could get their software where I live, I could sure use it on my computer.
Thanks for recommending them, skrinq.