AOL Security Breach

I guess you didn't read that he has Earthlink as his ISP....which means he has dial-up option if he needs it.

Internet access is easy to find anywhere on the road today.

Parental controls just like a firewall can be found all over the place.

Just so you know, i don't knock what i don't know, I test before opening my mouth and criticising Other people Hard Work (Again... I fix Machines for a living, therefor i need to be familiar with different programs and their havoc causing behavior on PCs). Ive tested AOL and just couldn't find any justification for paying for it unless you are willing to have them as your ISP.... In that respect i would still feel cheated paying the price of DSL for Dial-up (Internet Access can be found everywhere and cheaper). I guess the desperate attempts of AOL to stay alive don't speak for Itself how useless the services they offer are when it comes to people finding the tools they need on their own by taking the time to become knowledgeable.

If i would decide to use a service from the likes of AOL or MSN I most definitely go with the company that makes my operating system as much as i hate Bill Gates work, it gives me the everyday tools i need with total compatibility and less Errors than AOL.....Based on the machines I fix.

So patriotic of you, why not leave AOL if you truly feel that way and get some people to see the same patriotic way of things. As much as i love IBM i will not purchase another IBM machine after calling India for costumer support. there are still options out there for us internet users to feed "American" Employed company's and bring business back home to corporate anarchy???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????...There's no winning here.

First of all, I want to correct something....I am a she not a he.

said by ShootToThril:

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I guess you didn't read that he has Earthlink as his ISP....which means he has dial-up option if he needs it.

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Earthlink gives me 20 hours dial-up free per month and that is why I am with AOL byoa at $7.95 instead of the usual $14.95 cause I don't need the dial-up hours from Aol.

said by ShootToThril:

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Internet access is easy to find anywhere on the road today.

Parental controls just like a firewall can be found all over the place.

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Aol does have the advantage in these two areas but since I don't need either feature I am relying on what I've been told by others.

said by ShootToThril:

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Just so you know, i don't knock what i don't know, I test before opening my mouth and criticising Other people Hard Work (Again... I fix Machines for a living, therefor i need to be familiar with different programs and their havoc causing behavior on PCs).

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My point is simply that if one has a bias and doesn't like that people use Aol, will they really try as hard to fix it as someone who doesn't have that bias? The obvious answer and one based on human nature is no.

said by ShootToThril:

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Ive tested AOL and just couldn't find any justification for paying for it unless you are willing to have them as your ISP.... In that respect i would still feel cheated paying the price of DSL for Dial-up (Internet Access can be found everywhere and cheaper).

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I pay $49.95 a month to Earthlink for dsl, I could switch to SBC and get it for a year at $26.95 (after the year it would go up to what I pay now). I recognize that I have other options but I choose to remain a loyal customer even if it costs more. I think that mindset is the same for many who use Aol, its not that they don't know of other options, they simply choose to be a loyal customer even if it costs them a little more.

said by ShootToThril:

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I guess the desperate attempts of AOL to stay alive don't speak for Itself how useless the services they offer are when it comes to people finding the tools they need on their own by taking the time to become knowledgeable.

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The fact is that they provide alot of content and services and if all of their $23 customers become $7.95 customers they got problems. Just think what losing two-thirds of revenue would do to any business.

said by ShootToThril:

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If i would decide to use a service from the likes of AOL or MSN I most definitely go with the company that makes my operating system as much as i hate Bill Gates work, it gives me the everyday tools i need with total compatibility and less Errors than AOL.....Based on the machines I fix.

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And I go the other direction with that.....I am not a Microsoft basher but at the same time I don't want any one company to have a monopoly on all the software in my computer. I use IE cause I prefer it but I use Winamp instead of Media Player etc.

The way things have been going lately, if everytime a company outsourced to India you would go elsewhere, then you'd be switching ISP's every month if not more often.

said by Taurus333:

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And just so you know, I am unemployed at this time due to the whining of 16% of the population who don't have the manners to say a simple no thanks. But on a positive note we have been nice to our friends up north as alot of telemarketing jobs have been outsourced to Canada. I just love it when our government creates laws and tax incentives that give away our jobs to other countries like India and Canada. I can sleep well at night knowing that people in other countries can pay their bills while I struggle to pay mine.

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It's a hard lesson for individuals and businesses both. Times change. This is no different than the automotive industry crash. Lots of people were out of jobs. Then they started building PCs and creating websites.... the list of examples go on and on. Things will not remain the same forever. Move with it, or it will move out from under you.

puritan

said by Taurus333:

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The fact is that they provide alot of content and services and if all of their $23 customers become $7.95 customers they got problems. Just think what losing two-thirds of revenue would do to any business.

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So gouging your customers because you have a failing business model is ok then? Again to confirm... I have a company that offers a service that cannot be competitive, cost wise. So I overcharge a great portion of the customers in order to liquidate the costs of those who have opted to recieve a lower cost service. And there is nothing wrong with that? What kind of business person do you think you are if you think that it is ok for AOL to do this?

puritan

said by wentlanc:

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So gouging your customers because you have a failing business model is ok then? Again to confirm... I have a company that offers a service that cannot be competitive, cost wise. So I overcharge a great portion of the customers in order to liquidate the costs of those who have opted to recieve a lower cost service. And there is nothing wrong with that? What kind of business person do you think you are if you think that it is ok for AOL to do this?

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As far as dial-up prices.....
Aol = $23.90
MSN = $21.95
Earthlink = $21.95

All of the large ISP's are within the same range. Sure there are cheaper alternatives but you get what you pay for. So I don't understand why you are singling Aol out when they are charging basically the same as others and offer a cheaper alternative of byoa that the others don't provide.

byoa used to be $9.95 but now there are two choices $14.95 (with dial-up hours) and $7.95 (with no dial-up hours). In my situation I ended up with a $2 price reduction, for those wanting byoa with backup dial-up they saw a $5 increase and for those using a regular dial-up connection they saw no change at all.

You have issues. We are talking about AOL because the dang article is about AOL. DUH...

puritan

said by wentlanc:

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You have issues. We are talking about AOL because the dang article is about AOL. DUH...

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I was questioning your accusation of price gouging which obviously is not the case when a company's prices are in the same range as their competitors and they also offer cheaper plans that their competitors don't offer.

Again.... the topic here is AOL. Not Earthlink. Not MSN. I think they are all price gouging. I can get unlimited dialup from a dozen different vendors with prices ranging from $6 - $10 a month. Get NetZero for $6.95 a month, and BYOA from AOL for $7.95. There is your internet connection with AOL for $14.90.

puritan

said by wentlanc:

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Again.... the topic here is AOL. Not Earthlink. Not MSN. I think they are all price gouging. I can get unlimited dialup from a dozen different vendors with prices ranging from $6 - $10 a month. Get NetZero for $6.95 a month...

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ROFLMAO.

said by wentlanc:

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I can get unlimited dialup from a dozen different vendors with prices ranging from $6 - $10 a month.

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Ever hear the saying that you get what you pay for? Some people would rather deal with well known companies than cheap alternatives.

btw did you ever read the fine print on Netzero's site?

"You are responsible for all phone, support, excess dial-up and broadband charges incurred, even during free, trial or discounted periods. Live technical support is available for a fee of $1.95/min ($2.95 CDN/min in Canada)."

"NetZero reserves the right to impose hourly usage limitations"

The issue is that the most trouble anyone could ever have with any ISP would always eventuate by using AOL. The software is crap, it infected your PC, and try Un-installing it.. there's fun for the whole family.

I am going on a personal mission to tell everyone I know for the rest of my life never to use AOL for anything.

Only someone who has actually used AOL can understand how bad it really is.... Am I upset... doesn't begin to describe my feelings.

P.S - My contract (which I couldn't get out of even though for 1 1/2 months they couldn't provide me with connection) is up in 12 days. I think a party is in tow..

said by kirbyspar:

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Only someone who has actually used AOL can understand how bad it really is.... Am I upset... doesn't begin to describe my feelings.

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I've used Aol for the past 6 years.....2.5 years as my primary ISP and 3.5 years with byoa. I have used versions 4.0, 5.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 with no problems at all. I have uninstalled and then reinstalled on a different partition, I have upgraded versions as well as gone back to older ones, I have had more than one version installed at the same time....all with no problems at all.

It seems like only those who hate Aol seem to have problems using it, installing it and removing it while millions of people use the software and don't seem to have any problems with it. hmm, wonder why that is.

said by Taurus333:

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It seems like only those who hate Aol seem to have problems using it, installing it and removing it while millions of people use the software and don't seem to have any problems with it. hmm, wonder why that is.

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Can you provide the location of the statistics that you used to derive this information? Or is this more speculation like your 16% comment earlier?

Perhaps the people that hate AOL are the systems administrators and computer repair techs who have to fix so many peoples PCs that have issues because of AOL. Not like you and your two and a half years of experience on two PCs.

puritan

You never get what you pay for. That is a load of crap.

BTW, Did you ever read AOLs TOS?? Bolded by me for easier reference.

"ALL MATERIALS, INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES INCLUDED IN OR AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SITE (THE "CONTENT") ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" FOR YOUR USE. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NONINFRINGEMENT. AMERICA ONLINE, ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AND ITS LICENSORS DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE CONTENT IS ACCURATE, RELIABLE OR CORRECT; THAT THIS SITE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME OR LOCATION; THAT ANY DEFECTS OR ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE CONTENT IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. YOUR USE OF THIS SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR RISK. "

So the info can be wrong, the site not available, the software might not work, and they don't have to fix it ever. And they will not ensure that their content is clean.

So how much protection is AOL really providing you?

puritan

Why flame and ridicule someone for paying AOL for features thay want... christ already! Get off of it.

AOL is a perfect complement to my broadband too, for $9.95/month I get all the features.

I do use IRC, I game, I program, I develop, I design, and I work. AOL complements all of that.

Back onto topic - The security breach only involved me seeing somone's stock quotes - THATS IT! LOL... ooh, so someone sees that I invest in CSCO... lol.