I didn't tell you about my experiments with various bits of AOL software that I've been trying out of late. Well, a salutary tale. I do the majority of my journaling and other Internet activity through a Firefox browser (i.e. not through AOL), as my ISP is actually not AOL. And I'd almost recommend switching away from it, as the service they provide is crap beyond belief. When comparing to other ISPs. Of course, it's a question of money, and whether you have a lot built on the paid section of AOL.
Which leads me neatly on to AOL Open Ride. That is a horrendous piece of software. There are 4 windows, all tied to a coloured blob in the centre called Dynasizer. When you drag the blob, the 4 windows resize. Wow. The four windows include your buddylist, your email, your AOL Welcome screen and a browser window. Big deal.
AOL Open Ride is intended for those who don't pay for AOL, currently only in the US. If you need any of the specific AOL-only services (chatrooms and the like), your AOL Client software (which is required for going on-line if you use AOL as ISP) kicks in. Dreadful and cumbersome. That's AOL Open Ride. Avoid.
Things went downhill when I removed it. I had to download a piece of software before I could log on to AOL. Nice one if you have to use AOL for going on-line in the first place.
Oh, I also had AIM installed. Just for the heck of it. This jumped up every time I started the computer, although I had specified in my set-up that I didn't want that.
In the end, I removed everything called AOL from the computer and reinstalled AOL 9.0 from the CD-ROM. Now, if you remove AOL 9.0 from the PC, you're left with a PFC on your desktop. This contains all your personal settings. When you re-install your AOL, you won't have your bookmarks or anything there. You have to copy the PFC back into the AOL systemfiles in order to get everything back the way it was.
I find AOL about as bad as Microsoft in terms of software not talking to each other, even though it's made by the same company. I recently tried out Internet Explorer 7.0, which I couldn't wait to get rid of. Beware: Automatic Update may install it on your computer before you're aware of it.
End of rant.
Goes along well with what a friend says...
ReplyDeleteAOL = Assholes on Line LOL
Not the people using it, just the software and developers. Unreal how they make all these 'improvements' only to have something go boom. Just leave it the hell alone it sucks enough already.
hugs
d
Aol gives me pains beyond belief.But I need it to get online since I only have dial-up and cannot afford the high speed alternatives.
ReplyDeleteThey keep hiring these guys to better what ain't broke and they brake it into a million pieces .Thing is they aren't smart enough to fix what they broke,just try to keep fiddling with it to tweak it into working-to no avail.LOL
I had you on alert.. I thought.. but, realized today, that I have not been getting them, so I reclicked on the alert me button!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that I never installed that new Open Ride version. Popups are always asking me to, but I haven't done it. Glad I didn't after reading this!
Thanks for all the helpful info...
Jackie
thanks for the info Guido.
ReplyDeletePam
Guido,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warnings. A friend of mine had already vehemently warned me against IE7. She said when she downloaded it her computer started going nuts; then when she tried to take it off her whole PC crashed. Cost her $80.00 to get it repaired. I didn't try to download it, but I'm wondering if it tried to download itself and that's why my PC is in the shop right now. Hmmm. Someone else in J-Land had warned against the AOL Open Ride. I don't remember who. Now I'm doubly sure that I don't want it.
Lori
http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPages
Hmm, this entry quite sobered me. I have been using AOL throughout my relationship with Pierre as that is what he had, so I took it upstairs and became a member. I accidentally found out about journals as I usually just used it to access my family site. I am not really a big internet user on acount of my aging eyes, so I don't experiment. But I am interested in your remarks. I don't suppose anyone in the U.S. would dare talk about aol like that when using it. They would think big brother was watching. But I get a kick out of how you people across the pond cuss it. I guess you are so far away and so distantly connected you let your aggravation show.
ReplyDeleteI've got this sneaking suspision that AOL OpenRide contributed to the death of my husband's computer...I never download the "extras" because they always seem to be more trouble than they're worth.
ReplyDelete~Mrs. K