than mere technical BS. (However impractical it may be to in fact 'work against' YAN behemoth run by YAN sociopathic personality)

It's a moot point by now, I think - just how badly engineered something can be - and still sell to millions. Muricans are stuck with mediocrity in increasing doses, anyway - and not just in gadgetry. (They also sold a lot of Ford Pintos here...)

One of Norman's links above points to a problem of much larger concern (to the likes of me, anyway).. the Camel's nose well into the tent re CENSORSHIP

[link|http://www.motley-focus.com/~timber/ccapress.html|Story begins here]

The technical shortcomings as are sold to a massive group, apparently unable to use the web except by - an autoload CD that does it all - explains the appeal. Given the intellectual level also of the average PHB as described *here* - we may suppose that this situation won't change. Even hundreds of web hours later, these people will still not know what an ISP is, or even be willing to be talked through filling in the blanks. They NEED AOL as nanny, not only for their kids.

BUT I see an *active negative* force in the assertions made in the link. Once again a megalomaniac biznessman is to determine CONTENT for adults, perhaps under the rubric of "the cheeldrun's safety at AOL". (That rubric fails since - their own filter software can easily keep the tykes out of the Naked Lunch reading rooms. There's more to it than that.)

Yes, all those folk support AOL for having not the skills to do otherwise. But the more of them who do, and also fail to object vociferously to the censorship -- the more nails in the future coffin of.. that which we take for granted today at zIWE and elsewhere. This 'freedom period' is ever in jeopardy from the Yahoos of the world (not Yahoo\ufffd) - and Murica is lousy with sanctimonious Yahoos: just note the War on Drugs and all the other ones.

AOL may prove thus to become the test-case which a Puritan government cites as evidence that, See? people don't care - let's extend AOL rules web-wide as an amendment to the Patriot Child-Protection Speech Act

(Ashcroft personally qualifies for that epithet, and such aims would be consistent with his avowed Fundamentalist religious bent. I don't have to make this up.)

Ashcroft + AOL makes this more than a theoretical possibility IMhO. Ergo - AOL is hardly just a bumbling 'nother Billy with delusions of world domination.. but a Significant other Billy, apparently just as dangerous to support as the Original. Possibly more-so.

Still think we may safely ignore this lumbering wannabe International [Whatever] ??


Ashton
PS - could AOL's 'customer service' possibly be as disdainful of the inividual user and her needs as: M/Sloth's since the first?

PPS - re your post to the maillist: seems you have a bevy of European Ashcrofts to contend with on your side of the pond. It's an epidemic of panicky dumbth!