AOL as ISP

manrow

On a recent thread there was talk of AOL broadband prices dropping.

However last time I was using AOL, and Compuserve before that, both some years ago - I had an awful time with their corrupting Word files on transmission etc..

Does this still prevail?

Also if you put "AOL complaints" into Google you read so many disasistfaction complaints mostly from Americans that it strikes me it should still be left well alone.

Any comments please?

sergeant121

On a recent thread there was talk of AOL broadband prices dropping.

However last time I was using AOL, and Compuserve before that, both some years ago - I had an awful time with their corrupting Word files on transmission etc..

Does this still prevail?

Also if you put "AOL complaints" into Google you read so many disasistfaction complaints mostly from Americans that it strikes me it should still be left well alone.

I think that was the general tone of comments in the recent thread to which you refer.

Niles_2

I am currently running AOL Broadband Platinum 1mb.

I have only had 1 complaint with AOL, which is that it took an extra week and a half for them to update my Bronze account to a Platinum account, however the 1mb was activated on time.

I've been running it for about 3 months now and have had no problems with it.

gary38uk

"AOL as ISP", just picking myself up from the floor after laughing so much.

AOL, no, no, no!
get a real isp.
no need to install software.
dont get ripped off by aol prices.

cafenervosa_2

"AOL as ISP", just picking myself up from the floor after laughing so much.

AOL, no, no, no!
get a real isp.
no need to install software.
dont get ripped off by aol prices.

I can't agree more, I've just left AOL after many years with them. I got sick of the software crashing my computer everyday. Windows XP would never shut down because of it >:(

vansboy

Interesting this one!

We're AOL broadband for a few months now - no problems, either.

In fact,before going broadband, when we did manage to get our PC filled with goodness knows what bugs n things - NOT AOL's fault - they couldn't have been more helpfu! Spent ages going through re-setting procedures with them - all on 0800 number, too.

When we mentioned that we were considering OneTel as our provider, they gave us the following months charges free, so we could compare both, together.

Was even thinking of the platinum service, Niles mentions, but guess we're Ok like this, for now.

£19.99/month, free modem, unlimited access.

VB

cafenervosa_2

I do alot of downloading from torrents. This is when I had problems with the AOL connection, it just kept dropping connection to many times for my liking. When I was not downloading I found it fine.

King_David_2

I used AOL a while ago and will never again because of the software messing up my computer.

There are plenty of better ISPs out there, some offering better deals.

Try http://www.adslguide.org.uk for comments on various providers.

dag_2

I have to agree with Gary and Heinz and the consensus about AOL.

It's not that I have any objections on principle to proprietary connection software. It's just that the data on my hard disk, and the time I'd spend re-installing the operating system, is just worth too much to me.

Don't get me wrong, my data and my time is not worth that much - a few pennies, maybe. But that's still more than the amount I'd save by switching to AOL. I am only poor, I have only one computer, and there's a limit to the risks I can afford to take with it - but AOL is a risk too big.

Now if AOL were giving away free computers, free operating systems and free extra phone lines, then the risk would be less, so I might consider it. But they don't.

Hey, I might even consider AOL if there was an official version of the software for Linux - but there isn't.

dag_2

It's not that I have any objections on principle to proprietary connection software. It's just that the data on my hard disk, and the time I'd spend re-installing the operating system, is just worth too much to me.

Actually - to be fair to AOL, I'm not suggesting that their software is necessarily at fault. I suspect that the problem is caused by software with dynamic link libraries that don't comply with the standards - such as sequential numbering and reverse-compatibility.

Whether it's AOL's or someone else's DLL's that don't comply, is beside the point. That's because you need at least two pieces of software, with different versions of the same DLL, before the non-sequential numbering of one of them causes a problem.

In an ideal world, all DLL's would comply - but it's not an ideal world. Programmers rush out new software in a hurry. The upshot is that the more software you install on your computer, the poorer the performance will be - even if you uninstall the software again afterwards. Contrary to popular belief, this problem is not peculiar to Windows - it affects Linux and Unix too.

The upshot is that if you want to get the best performance out of your computer, you shouldn't install any more software than is strictly necessary.

And it's hard to justify installing AOL's proprietary connection software, when you can use other ISP's without proprietary software at all.

(so much for my attempt to sound techie - does it wash?)

barjam_2

we have aol broadband (24.99 one) lately when we switch our pc on then when connecting it seems to just stop responding then either everything freezes or the pc just switches off does this sound like a classic aol software problem or something else cos i wasnt aware there was an aol software issue any help much appreciated
:-/ :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/