What's With the Free AOL?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Jenny called from Nashville to say she read in USA Today that AOL is now free.

I told her I had an email from the CEO I hadn't read.

When I read it I saw the catch, the if you choose to connect to the Internet through someone else part, you can keep your AOL for Free.

But I called anyway, then went about my work with the phone to my ear for the next hour, waiting for the next available person.

Yup, she said, that's the catch. But, do you have dial-up?

Yup.

How about the same service for $9.95?

Really? What we're paying $25.90 for now?

Yup.

Nothing changes but the monthly charge?

Nope.

I took it and they sent me an email confirming it.

So now we have slow Internet service at a reasonable rate.

Next I'm calling the bank and asking about our monthly payment there!

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...tory?track=rss

Web surfers who connect via cable or DSL will no longer have to pay for an AOL e-mail address or security software, the company said.

"This will remove the biggest barrier for our members staying with AOL as they migrate to broadband," said Chief Operating Officer Jeff Bewkes. "We're going to stop sending our members to our competitors."

The announcement comes as AOL tries to make up for the flood of cancellations by subscribers. AOL lost 976,000 U.S. subscribers in the quarter and now has 17.7 million, down sharply from its peak of 26.7 million in September 2002.

AOL has about 6.2 million U.S. subscribers who have broadband but pay extra, generally $15 a month, for AOL services, meaning AOL could lose more than $1 billion in annual revenue from those customers alone. Executives believe they can find that amount in savings by the end of 2007 by cutting marketing, network and overhead costs.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

When I read it I saw the catch, the if you choose to connect to the Internet through someone else part, you can keep your AOL for Free.

But I called anyway, then went about my work with the phone to my ear for the next hour, waiting for the next available person.

Yup, she said, that's the catch. But, do you have dial-up?

Yup.

How about the same service for $9.95?

Really? What we're paying $25.90 for now?

Yup.

Nothing changes but the monthly charge?

Nope.

or you can get DSL, keep your AOL for free and get faster connection without spending anymore money than you do today.

[wandering gnome Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wandering gnome]

JLB,

Have you thought about getting DSL? I get DSL through the cable company for $24.95. No more slow internet!

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I like slow Internet. I like the aniticipation. And it keeps me off the street.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

AOL, once installed, craps up your computer permanmently (unless you are skilled at editing your computer's registry or you are willing to reformat your hard drive and reinstall all of your software).

I've never understood why I should pay someone so they can crap up my computer.

If you have to be on dial-up, use PeoplePC, EarthLink, Netscape .... any service but AOL.

[Thirsty Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Thirsty]

AOL to lay off up to 5,000 workers

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

AOL, once installed, craps up your computer permanmently (unless you are skilled at editing your computer's registry or you are willing to reformat your hard drive and reinstall all of your software).

I've never understood why I should pay someone so they can crap up my computer.

If you have to be on dial-up, use PeoplePC, EarthLink, Netscape .... any service but AOL.

I agree with you 100%.
I have never had AOL and I never will. Gonna miss all those free CDs in the mail though. They make great suncatchers and odd art projects

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

I agree with you 100%.
I have never had AOL and I never will. Gonna miss all those free CDs in the mail though. They make great suncatchers and odd art projects

I made the mistake of installing it one time for the 45 free days while I was travelling, then cancelling when the 45-day perioid was up.

I couldn't AOL out of my computer until I reformatted the hard drive one time (for other reasons). AOL is every bit as pernicious as Norton.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Steve:

What part of my computer is crapped up? It doesn't seem any crappier than it always was, except for the NAV05 episode.

For an old POS PC, this one does pretty good.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Dear AOL Member,

I want to let you know about some exciting changes happening at AOL. Our service has always provided both a way to connect to the Web and an entertaining online destination once you're connected.

Today we are announcing that AOL's software, email, and many compelling AOL features -- including your Address Book, Screen Name, the Buddy List® feature and more -- will be free to everyone with an Internet connection.

What Does This Mean for You?

Nothing about your service arrangement with us will change unless you want it to. Your current plan, which includes 24/7 customer support, unlimited email storage, your email addresses and all the AOL content and services you rely on, will still be there for you.

Even if you choose a different high-speed provider from the one you use to connect to the Internet today:
You can keep your AOL Screen Name and email address for as long as you want to use it, completely free;
You can continue to use your AOL software, and you can still get all your favorite features and content, completely free;
You will still get the most comprehensive free set of safety and security tools available, plus world-class, high-speed content like video, music and more.
All of this is free, no matter who provides your Internet connection.

Why Is AOL Doing This?

We're simply changing with the times. There are many options for Internet access, whether it's dial-up or broadband. At the same time, a lot of online content and services are now available on the Web free of charge because they are supported by advertising. So, while your Internet connectivity needs may change over time, what you love about the Web does not. We are now able to ensure that the familiar AOL experience, your Screen Name, your Address Book, your Buddy List, your Favorite Places, and other content and features you enjoy, will always be available to you for free.

In September, you will be hearing about more changes and other new features at AOL. Until then, you can visit AOL Keyword: New AOL for more information and to sign up for informative email alerts.

Sincerely,

Jon Miller
Chairman and CEO
AOL LLC

[The Conch Man Past Goumba President & BigFrank's Cigar Buddy! Find all posts View Profile Close The Conch Man]

Gotta agree with Steve's statement on AOL & Norton ~~ Crap is a good word ~~ Bein a former IT guy many years ago ~~ I had the pleasure of havin AOL & Norton at the sametime ~~ After many downtime problems & errors with both ~~ I finally decided to re-build my puter from scratch ~~ The reason was ~~ They both lock-on to resident memory, disk & so 4th ~~ Tryin to rid of them ~~ You really need to know how the "RegEdit" works & a few other things ~~ Now you know why I re-built the puter & never havin AOL or Norton/Symptomatic software on my puter's ~~

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

As Trev said, it never uninstalls itself. It leaves bits and pieces of itself in variouis places, and still activates process the remain tunning in the background and use of resources.

When a progtram uninstalls itself, it should be totally gone from your syatem. The only exception to that should be registry entries that might indicate that the software may have been installed and activated and removed at a certain date. Those keys would be appropriate for software that has a free trial period, after which it must be purchased or uninstalled.