Not so

Post #25,224 by nking 1/23/02 2:24:45 AM Reply	Not so Most techies hate AOL because the AOL Client screws up Windows configuration files. Then they have to go in and fix it. Nothing clobbers your company's Intranet better than AOL. My last employer had a policy of no AOL software to be installed on their laptops. It not only screwed up our Intranet connection, but the Citrix Terminal Server client as well. It also hosed up the Mindspring International Dialer program, when the lawyers went to travel to other countries, they couldn't connect with AOL installed. The damn thing is everywhere. My neice wanted to play a game she got in a box of Cherrios. It was "Operation", a free game on a CD that came in a cerial box. She went to install the thing, and it asked her if she wanted to install AOL, and it defaulted to yes, she just clicked the mouse because she was confused. So AOL got installed. Then my dialup didn't work anymore on that machine, and my system crashed a lot. I found out it was because the **ing AOL client got installed. After I uninstalled it, and reinstalled part of the OS, I was able to fix it. If AOL didn't tinkle all over Windows and screw around with things, techies wouldn't hate it so much. "Will code Visual BASIC for cash."**
Post #25,228 by pwhysall 1/23/02 2:48:26 AM Reply	Re: Not so Nothing clobbers your company's Intranet better than AOL. What? Have you been at the crack pipe again? I've had laptops come in with AOL installed and they worked with our intranet just fine. It not only screwed up our Intranet connection, but the Citrix Terminal Server client as well. It also hosed up the Mindspring International Dialer program, when the lawyers went to travel to other countries, they couldn't connect with AOL installed. I suggest the problems with that machine go somewhat deeper than "AOL is installed" if the Citrix ICA client (there's no such thing as a "Citrix Terminal Server" client - Terminal Server is an MS product) was affected by AOL. The only possible thing that could have been slightly screwy is that the internet dialler would try to call AOL. Even so, that should work. She went to install the thing, and it asked her if she wanted to install AOL, and it defaulted to yes, she just clicked the mouse because she was confused. So AOL got installed. Moral of this story : don't let children install software. After I uninstalled it, and reinstalled part of the OS, I was able to fix it. Which part of the OS? If AOL didn't tinkle all over Windows and screw around with things, techies wouldn't hate it so much. And if people read the manuals and didn't touch what they neither need to touch nor understand, and called the free helpline when things went screwy, then sysadmins like me wouldn't hate lusers so much. Where are your screeds about how Office tinkles all over your system and screws around with things? Office XP (which I have on my work PC - company policy, not choice) killed my thumbnail view (because it trashes the ShellEx registry keys for the relevant file types). Sorry, Norm. All my sympathy goes elsewhere when you whale on AOL but still run Windows by choice. That's a fundamental disconnect right there. Me? [peter@polonius peter]$ uname -a Linux polonius 2.4.17-0.1 #1 Fri Jan 4 13:47:12 EST 2002 i686 unknown Peter Shill For Hire [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal]
Post #25,230 by nking 1/23/02 3:03:13 AM Reply	AOL trouble I had to remove the Dial Up Networking and the Dial-Up Adapter, then reinstall them. That is the part of the OS that I had to reinstall. It wonked it up. I don't deny that Office tinkles over the OS, if you don't like it use StarOffice or something else. Who says I run Windows by choice? I got one Linux machine, one OS/2 machine (Thanks to Tonytib), and even an Amiga 500 in my "Basement War Room". I run Windows 2000 Server to keep my MS-Skills in shape so I can get a job. I also have a Windows 98 workstation because some software and games won't run on WINE or ODIN. If you bothered to read my other posts, you'll note that I tried to find a way to run Everquest under WINE or ODIN for my brother. But oh, let's just paint me as a MS-Zealot because I am whaling all over AOL. Microsoft sucks, so does AOL, so does Apple, so does Sun, you want my whole "Shtlist" while you are at it? "Will code Visual BASIC for cash."*
Post #25,232 by static 1/23/02 5:31:27 AM Reply	Enough with the lemons, you two. I have some anecdotes about AOL that you have both managed to overlook. When AOL opened in Australia[1] it found itself in a generally high-quality market and had to pull its socks up quite a bit before it began to acquire a decent amount of market share Yes, the AOL client has a history of stomping all over the network stack and not playing nice with other semi-proprietary dial-up clients. However, I do recall a few comments over the years from various US mags[2] about how over time the AOL client became nicer. ISTR that there was a major improvement in that arena with a major version change and a lot of problems along the lines of "it wrecked my dial-up with such-and-such!" were met with "upgrade to the newer AOL client". I have spoken to a local AOL support tech on behalf of an (ex-)emploter's client. The question I had was reasonably technical and was to do with FTP running under AOL. The guy who answered knew exactly what I was talking about - including the right answer. And lastly, surely you both know that Microsoft has successfully taught tens of millions of consumers that computers are non-deterministic and often unreliable? This would be why, if AOL is as shitty as people say it is, many subscribers simply put up with it. Wade. [1] No, they aren't "Australia On-Line", and nor are they (confusingly) "America On-Line". They are just "AOL". [2] e.g. Byte. "All around me are nothing but fakes Come with me on the biggest fake of all!"
Post #25,277 by nking 1/23/02 1:08:46 PM Reply	We also forgot the many class action lawsuits against AOL becase the software wrecked the OS ability to use other Internet services. Lemons, make lemonaid. :) "Will code Visual BASIC for cash."
Post #25,293 by wharris2 1/23/02 1:46:32 PM Reply	One more lemon Doesn't each new version (at least the last several) have extensive histories of messing up the previous version's installation? "Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it." -- Donald Knuth
Post #25,235 by imric 1/23/02 6:23:21 AM Reply	AOL client has killed VPNs I've worked with before. It IS annoying, Peter; it DOES have security problems, and - hasn't AOL said they want to compete with Passport-like services? That makes me shudder - if anything, even worse than MS! Hell, they market to the 'clueless', do the 'clueless' know what security even is? Now, having said that, an OSS AOL client would be a major step forward. AOL has toyed with OSS before - and changed thier minds. I can only hope they change thier minds again, and in a big way. Imric's Tips for Living Paranoia Is a Survival Trait Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised... Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.
Post #25,279 by nking 1/23/02 1:12:37 PM Reply	Thanks for your support I find it odd that Peter claims that AOL does not mess with the Internet part of Windows. This has been proven time and time again that it indeed does. AOL has been wishy washy over Open Source before. As you said they did toy with the idea of an OSS AOL client. But give credit where it is due, the Mozilla project is going quite nicely. The one thing that AOL/Netscape has done well with open source. "Will code Visual BASIC for cash."
Post #25,250 by boxley 1/23/02 9:38:12 AM Reply	AOL has their own winsock that is incompatible with other programs that are expecting MS winsock? that was the case a few years ago as well. In Siemens last year the IT department sent out memos that if AOL was loaded it was RRR because of the way it mucked up the settings particular to Siemens. AOL is neither bad nor good it is just big and aimed at the home users who prolly use the machine for writing letters, balancing the checkbook and email. I havnt used it because when it first came out you had a charge of 1.50 a minute for the phonecall from Alaska while Compuserve had a local number. I did make a lot of money fixing AOL installs :) thanx, bill My Dreams aren't as empty as my conscience seems to be
Post #25,281 by nking 1/23/02 1:14:28 PM Reply	AOL mucking up the OS Like I said in a previous post, I fixed it by removing the Internet part of Windows, rebooting, and then reinstalling it. This got rid of the Winsock, Dial Up Networking, and other files, and then reinstalled and reregistered them. But a RRR will fix it as well. "Will code Visual BASIC for cash."

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