aol

Mon
07
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

AOL Axes Netscape

Although it has held on for a long time, the Netscape browser will pass into the great digital afterlife early this year. Tom Drapeau, Netscape's Director, announced in a blog post that AOL will discontinue product support for Netscape Navigator on ... February 1, 2008. After that Drapeau recommends Navigator users switch over to Mozilla Firefox, the popular open-source web browser on which Netscape is based. (Source: netscape.com ) Netscape was a popular browser until Microsoft released Internet Explorer, setting off the so-called 'browser war'. IE eventually won that battle, and Netscape was ... (view more)

Thu
13
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

AOL Launches Windows-Friendly Software

America OnLine (AOL) has launched a new version of its software, designed to work more efficiently with Windows. In the past, AOL users have generally had to access all of their Internet services (such as web browsing, email and instant messaging) ... through a single screen (or 'window'), an approach dubbed 'walled garden' by some commentators. AOL's tactic kept everything together in one place, but some users found it wasn't possible to use tabbed browsing. That's where you can quickly switch from one screen to another by pressing the ALT + TAB keys or simply clicking with the mouse. The ... (view more)

Mon
01
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

Big Security Holes Found in AOL's Instant Messenger

Those still loyal to America Online are aware that the service has had a topsy-turvy history. The once dominant dial-up choice of Americans has struggled as of late with vulnerabilities to its Instant Messenger application, holes that security ... experts have collectively referred to as a "major vulnerability". Last Wednesday, analysts at Core Security Technologies revealed that a bug could unleash a series of attacks on an AOL Instant Messenger user, with the most serious side effect being a remote hijack by a hacker. If said hacker were to worm his or her way into the system, Core Security ... (view more)

Tue
31
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

AOL is Watching

AOL wants to enhance its online advertising business by partnering with Tacoda, a company that offers ads based on a person's online behaviour. Tacoda was founded in New York in 2001. It caters to well-known publishing clients such as The New York ... Times, and has more than 4,000 websites in its ad network. Tacoda's job is carried out in a series of steps. First, the online behaviour of Internet users is evaluated across a wide number of sites. This task is done in order to determine the active and passive interests of visitors. Next, the online audience is divided according to these interests ... (view more)

Thu
28
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

AOL Sued over Public Release of Search-Related Data

What would you do if you found records of your personal search information haphazardly sprinkled all over the web? For three AOL subscribers, the reckless mismanagement of their personal data sparked a class-action lawsuit against the Internet giant ... this past Friday. This is the first time AOL has been sued for the intentional release of over 19 million search requests made by about 650,000 subscribers during a period of three months. The Internet service provider is being charged under the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act and California's consumer-protection laws. (Source: ... (view more)

Wed
06
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

AOL 9.0 Accused of Being 'Badware'

It seems that AOL can't turn around these days without stepping into some sort of controversy. Bad news , more bad news , and customer service tactics reminiscent of the Mafia have plagued the company in recent months. The latest fiasco: The most ... recent version of AOL 9.0 is now being tagged as "badware" (malware) by StopBadware.org. The malware-prevention website is a joint project between Harvard Law School and Oxford University. (Source: betanews.com ) StopBadware.org posted this notice about the latest incarnation of AOL 9.0: "In our preliminary findings, we find that AOL 9.0 (free ... (view more)

Tue
05
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

AOL Offers Movie Download Program

We've recently been covering the woes of America Online (AOL), once North America's dominant Internet service. It seems with the recent shift to broadband AOL has struggled to accompany its customers, leading to layoffs. Recently, the company ... announced new plans for downloadable movies, although the feature might not be the saving grace AOL is desperately seeking. The new movie program is the result of freshly-hatched deals between AOL and a number of film companies, including 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, Universal Pictures, and Sony Pictures. Under the agreement, ... (view more)

Wed
23
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Fired: More Bad News From AOL

It wasn't so long ago that we reported on the reluctant decision of America On Line to lay off some 5,000 of its workers . At that time, extremely slow dial-up sales had reduced AOL to losses in that sector, demanding that it change its outlook ... strategy and in doing so, restructure. The move cost thousands their jobs. Today, more bad news is leaking from AOL, as it appears three significant employees have been terminated after a recent scandal over released customer information. The most alarming termination surrounds Maureen Govern, AOL's Chief Technology Officer. Hired in September of last ... (view more)

Sat
05
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Good and Bad News from AOL

It has been a bittersweet day for America Online. On the same morning the company announces that it has beaten industry giants Microsoft and Google in launching the first online storage system, the company has at the same time admitted that it must ... lay off 5,000 employees. The cuts represent nearly a quarter of the AOL's manpower, and are part of a massive restructuring effort across all of its international offices. The hardest hit branches may be those located in Europe, as rumours abound that the entire United Kingdom arm of AOL could be severed. In desperation to regain some of its once- ... (view more)

Mon
24
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

AOL: Once You Join, You Can't Leave!

Consumerist.com has posted what appears to be an AOL customer service manual that details how company representatives are expected to handle users who wish to cancel their service. AOL phone reps are allegedly required to wear customers down into ... keeping their accounts by employing various questionable tactics -- including assaulting the user with a barrage of annoying sales pitches and asking invasive personal questions to get more information on file. One of the instructions listed in the AOL employee document: "KEEP DIGGING!!" AOL has declined to verify the legitimacy of the manual posted ... (view more)

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