Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

I Hate AOL...And I Don't Even Use It.

How about some enterprising individual cooking up a software program that will forever ban AOL install programs and icons from showing up on my desktop. My latest headache is a reoccuring desktop shortcut that keeps coming back...it says that I must delete the 32 Bit shortcut using the Add/Delete Program function in my Control Panel, yet no such program or AOL resides there. How is this legal?

I may be wary of Microsoft, but I hope they kick the crap out of AOL in the long run.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 172

AOL is the lesser of the two evils, IMHO.
Here's one surefire way to be sure you never see AOL on your system. Use BeOS instead!

__________________
"Life is what you experience between racing games"
Galley

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

no, MS is good, AOL is the devil. Which is kinda funny, because APPLE gave AOL the key technology and ideas it needed to become big! imagine that! (I read it in MacConfidentail - god I gotta buy that book)

__________________
-miradu

Registered: May 2000
Location:
Posts: 116

I think AOL could get some much needed goodwill by switching to REWRITABLE CDs for the CDs that they send out every few weeks.

__________________
Scott Olendorf
Sony Clie N610C,
Blue Visor Deluxe, Magellan GPS Companion

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 447

quote:

---

Originally posted by olendorf
I think AOL could get some much needed goodwill by switching to REWRITABLE CDs for the CDs that they send out every few weeks.

---

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

I appreciate the new DVD style cases that AOL is sending around with its new mirrors ... er, I mean CD's. They're handy.
But I do agree that the waste of materials is irritating.
I never liked AOL even when I used it (briefly, for work-related matters), and the market penetration they have drives me nuts. That, and I'm not able to tell installers that include AOL software NOT to install it (Netscape 4.77 comes to mind) so I have hunt down all the bits and get rid of them.

__________________
The light at the end of your tunnel has been disconnected due to non-payment. Please remit funds immediately for restoration of hope.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Elkins Park, Pa
Posts: 577

quote:

---

Originally posted by Galley_SimRacer
AOL is the lesser of the two evils, IMHO.

---

__________________
-Bernie

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.
-Dan Quayle

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

quote:

---

AOL is the lesser of the two evils, IMHO.

---

__________________
We're all naked if you turn us inside out.
-David Byrne

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

quote:

---

Originally posted by homer
I still hope Mozilla gains ground

---

__________________
-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:

---

Originally posted by homer
AOL/TimeWarner and Microsoft are both evil in that they are giant corporations with their hands in pretty much every bit of media out there.

---

__________________
The light at the end of your tunnel has been disconnected due to non-payment. Please remit funds immediately for restoration of hope.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

quote:

---

Now, just because they're owned by AOL, an internet company that a great number of people don't like (and, I'm sure, a great number do, else they wouldn't still be around "people are sheep" notwithstanding), they're evil?

---

__________________
We're all naked if you turn us inside out.
-David Byrne

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Enumclaw, Wa
Posts: 268

I wouldn't use AOL except it is the only one my parents will pay for. They aren't the techie type and would be like a chicken running around without a head if they used any normal isp.

__________________
God bless the USA! The country I love, and will support at all costs.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

I updated the version of AIM for Windows that I have, and it put a "Get AOL Now" (or something like that) icon on my desktop, on the Start Menu, on IE's Locations folder, and in the IE favorites. Sheesh.

On my Mac, I've been using Fire to connect to the AIM network. Sadly enough, it has better features than the POS AIM beta that is currently available.

__________________
James Hromadka
Old Friend

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

How has Fire been working for you? I tried it for a while, but it kept disconnecting from the network unannounced and quiting itself.

This was a while go, though...I had to go back to OS 9 in the meantime...

...patiently waiting for Adobe and Macromedia to get their asses in gear and get those apps carbonized!

__________________
We're all naked if you turn us inside out.
-David Byrne

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

quote:

---

Originally posted by homer
How has Fire been working for you? I tried it for a while, but it kept disconnecting from the network unannounced and quiting itself.

This was a while go, though...I had to go back to OS 9 in the meantime...

...patiently waiting for Adobe and Macromedia to get their asses in gear and get those apps carbonized!

---

__________________
James Hromadka
Old Friend

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Houston
Posts: 72

quote:

---

Originally posted by D ev R ay 4Real
it is the only one my parents will pay for. They aren't the techie type and would be like a chicken running around without a head if they used any normal isp.

---

But most "normal" ISPs are cheaper, and some are WAY cheaper. My dad is the same way, but we kept him off AOL strictly based on the price!

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 172

Proof that Microsoft is "evil". There is a story out that states that MS is "encouraging" retailers to sell $499 Xbox bundles that contain MS games. $499, what're they nuts? Just like they practically force us to use their sh*tty OS by holding a gun to our heads, now it looks they're trying to cram their games down our throats as well.


Microsoft Pushes Xbox Bundles
Xbox: An article in the L.A. Times has reported that Microsoft is strongly encouraging retailers to pre-sell Xbox in $499 bundles.
The article suggests that come Nov. 8, picking up just an Xbox console could be tricky. The article says that Microsoft is encouraging retailers to pre-sell Xbox in $499 bundle packs, with pre-packed Microsoft-published software and peripherals.
The bundle isn't a requirement to sell Xbox, but Microsoft will provide additional marketing money to retailers who do, adds the article. "When we came up with the program, we wanted it to be what's best for retailers," offered Microsoft spokesman James Bernard. "This is based on what retailers told us they wanted."

And what makes matters worse, Sony has joined forces with freaking AOL to provide online content to the PS2. Aaaargh!

__________________
"Life is what you experience between racing games"
Galley

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Dire Prediction

Microsoft is going to be trying to squeeze cash from everywhere imaginable once they find that the product activation feature of both Office and Windows XP kill the upgrade market for their products (or atleast torpedo their revenue projections for a typical product release). Look for more instances of MS putting the squeeze on everyone for cash.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Spring Lake Park, MN (45min from minneapolis)
Posts: 313

i have Netscape 4.6, where do you download 4.77?

but i like my computers built in browser(internet explorer) because its better because it shows the page faster before its done downloading.

__________________
"Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs."
"The sum of the intelligence on the planet is constant, but the population is increasing"
"I am not a vegetarian because i love animals; I am a vegetarian because I hate plants.-- A. Whitney Brown"

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:

---

Originally posted by robert sibell
i have Netscape 4.6, where do you download 4.77?

---

__________________
The light at the end of your tunnel has been disconnected due to non-payment. Please remit funds immediately for restoration of hope.