Semi-OT - AOHell's new move.....

[Stephen Baker]

When I fired up AM-B this evening, this little notice appeared on my screen:

************************************************** ***************
Please Note: The AOL Newsgroup service will be discontinued in early 2005.


For members using AOL over a dial-up connection, you will no longer be able to
access Newsgroups. If you have a separate high-speed connection, you can
contact your broadband provider to see if they offer Newsgroups. Newsgroup
services can often be accessed through a third party reader, such as Mozilla
Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/thunderbird/).

Alternatively, you can access Newsgroups via Google at
http://groups.google.com/.

We apologize for this inconvenience.
************************************************** ************************
Looks like it may be time to change. I know, I know, I should really have
shifted years ago, but I was comfy in my little nook, so I didn't.

Steve "Sick transit Gloria Monday"

[Slacker]

On 25 Jan 2005 01:55:07 GMT, Stephen Baker > =

wrote:

> When I fired up AM-B this evening, this little notice appeared on my =

> screen:
>
> ************************************************** ***************
> Please Note: The AOL Newsgroup service will be discontinued in early =

> 2005.
>
>
> For members using AOL over a dial-up connection, you will no longer be=
=

> able to
> access Newsgroups. If you have a separate high-speed connection, you =
can
> contact your broadband provider to see if they offer Newsgroups. =

> Newsgroup
> services can often be accessed through a third party reader, such as =

> Mozilla
> Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/thunderbird/).
>
> Alternatively, you can access Newsgroups via Google at
> http://groups.google.com/.
>
> We apologize for this inconvenience.
> ************************************************** ********************=
****
> Looks like it may be time to change. I know, I know, I should really =
=

> have
> shifted years ago, but I was comfy in my little nook, so I didn't.
>
> Steve "Sick transit Gloria Monday"


AOL is for little kids... I thought you were, like 102??

-- =

Slacker

[Ride-A-Lot]

Stephen Baker wrote:
> When I fired up AM-B this evening, this little notice appeared on my screen:
>
> ************************************************** ***************
> Please Note: The AOL Newsgroup service will be discontinued in early 2005.
>
>
> For members using AOL over a dial-up connection, you will no longer be able to
> access Newsgroups. If you have a separate high-speed connection, you can
> contact your broadband provider to see if they offer Newsgroups. Newsgroup
> services can often be accessed through a third party reader, such as Mozilla
> Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/thunderbird/).
>
> Alternatively, you can access Newsgroups via Google at
> http://groups.google.com/.
>
> We apologize for this inconvenience.
> ************************************************** ************************
> Looks like it may be time to change. I know, I know, I should really have
> shifted years ago, but I was comfy in my little nook, so I didn't.
>
> Steve "Sick transit Gloria Monday"

Why provide something that cost money when it's out there for free.
AOHell is in a downward spiral and losing up to 250,000 subscribers per
month. Their time has come and gone. That is why they dropped AOL from
the Time-Warner name.

Move to broadband, you won't regret it. I have been on it for 15 years
(started with ISDN in my home).

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

[Sam O'Nella]

> Their time has come and gone.

When was it ever their "time"? It's always been a poor choice.

> Move to broadband, you won't regret it. I have been on it for 15
> years (started with ISDN in my home).

Very impressve.

[Zilla]

Sam O'Nella > wrote:
>> Their time has come and gone.
>
> When was it ever their "time"? It's always been a poor choice.
>
>> Move to broadband, you won't regret it. I have been on it for 15
>> years (started with ISDN in my home).
>
> Very impressve.

It was "their" time before broadband was mainstream and dial-up was.

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

[Sam O'Nella]

>>> Their time has come and gone.
>>
>> When was it ever their "time"? It's always been a poor choice.
>>
>>> Move to broadband, you won't regret it. I have been on it for 15
>>> years (started with ISDN in my home).
>>
>> Very impressve.
>
> It was "their" time before broadband was mainstream and dial-up was.

Perhaps for those who's exhaustive investigation into ISPs involved opening
their mailbox.

There's always been better alternatives at half the cost; they don't even
force silly custom browsers on you either.

[Ride-A-Lot]

Sam O'Nella wrote:
>>>> Their time has come and gone.
>>>
>>>When was it ever their "time"? It's always been a poor choice.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Move to broadband, you won't regret it. I have been on it for 15
>>>>years (started with ISDN in my home).
>>>
>>>Very impressve.
>>
>>It was "their" time before broadband was mainstream and dial-up was.
>
>
> Perhaps for those who's exhaustive investigation into ISPs involved opening
> their mailbox.
>
> There's always been better alternatives at half the cost; they don't even
> force silly custom browsers on you either.
>
>

Damn I hate going off topic, but does anyone remember the Geos operating
system? I was a BETA tester for it back in the early 80's. It was
supposed to be the Windows that Windows 1.0 never was. Built into that
little POS was an ISP called Chicago Online. Chicago Online, I think
was run by the Tribune at that time was version .01 of America Online.
I went on to be the BETA tester for America Online, which drove me to
Compuserve, which was eventually bought by... America Online. Anyway,
ISP's with their own shells aren't worth a damn. Get your yourself a
nice unix shell account and be done with it.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

[bri719]

Stephen Baker wrote:

>We apologize for this inconvenience.
>************************************************** ************************
>Looks like it may be time to change. I know, I know, I should really have
>shifted years ago, but I was comfy in my little nook, so I didn't.
>
>

I hear ya....I took forever to drop AOhelL. I had a different ISP, so I
simply signed in using my existing connection. it was costing me
something like $9.99 a month even after AOL decided to jack their rates
up to like 21 or 23.99 and couldn't quite justify cutting the cord
completely. I did this for about a year or so.

eventually it just became pointless and I got rid of the thing. I
mostly used it to stay in touch with my family since almost all of them
had an @AOL email address. now, the only one I can think of that still
does is my mom. one point of warning: you WILL lose your current
screenname including all your buddy lists. back them up or save them if
you are able. at the very least, write down all the people in your
buddy list. when you use AIM after cancelling, you'll be required to
pick a new screenname. then you can import or set up your buddy list again.

good luck

--

* enjoying the karma *
remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email

[bri719]

Zilla wrote:

>It was "their" time before broadband was mainstream and dial-up was.
>
>
>

yep true -- when they were charging $19.99 (same as most other ISPs) and
the easiest way to get everyone in your family online (pre-proliferation
of the web and broadband), it made sense. but it's been over 5 years
since that was the case and now their business model stinks. now they
basically bank on morons who don't know how to use a computer and need a
things like "checkup" and "virus scan for your whole computer, not just
email" signing up for the free month and not remembering how to cancel
in time to not get charged.

if not for T-W, it would probably be no time before someone else had
swallowed them up. woulda been kinda funny...

bri

--

* enjoying the karma *
remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email

[JD]

So, just use Google Groups. It's much better than it was and is easy
to use.

JD

[bri719]

JD wrote:

>So, just use Google Groups. It's much better than it was and is easy
>to use.
>
>

I'm still trying to figure out how to use it without giving them a real
e-mail address to post... maybe they changed it, but that seemed like
the major drawback to me. luckily I signed up ages ago with a mail
address which is long dead. so anytime I have to post from there the
deluges of spam just go nowhere.

bri

--

* enjoying the karma *
remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email

[Sam O'Nella]

bri719 wrote:
> JD wrote:
>
>> So, just use Google Groups. It's much better than it was and is easy
>> to use.
>>
>>
>
> I'm still trying to figure out how to use it without giving them a
> real e-mail address to post....

I am amazed just how much spam I DON'T get even when using a valid hotmail
or gmail return addy. They seem to filter it out almost 100%. Maybe a
couple pieces a week tops.

[(Pete Cresswell)]

Per Stephen Baker:
>Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/thunderbird/).
>
>Alternatively, you can access Newsgroups via Google at
>http://groups.google.com/.
>
>We apologize for this inconvenience.

Look at the bright side: they could have prefaced it with "In order to server
you better...."
--
PeteCresswell

[(Pete Cresswell)]

Per bri719:
>I'm still trying to figure out how to use it without giving them a real
>e-mail address to post...

You need to explore methods of having many email addresses.
--
PeteCresswell

[Slacker]

On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 22:01:19 GMT, (Pete Cresswell) > wrote:

> Per bri719:
>> I'm still trying to figure out how to use it without giving them a re=
al
>> e-mail address to post...
>
> You need to explore methods of having many email addresses.
> --PeteCresswell



Or a good ISP with spam control.

I've been using a real email addy since day one. Although, I think I'm =

going to defect to Mac, but for other reasons.
-- =

Slacker