Posted March 12, 2017 I couldn't find a news site that has done a story on this so I spent the last hour researching and wrote my own. Most of us probably have an older relative that still uses the AOL Desktop Software. Unfortunately for them (and possibly us as well if you're the one they call when they have a problem) as of April 10th, 2017 the AOL Desktop Software will be seeing a transformation to a monthly subscription based service. A new version of the software, AOL Desktop Gold, will replace all previous versions of the software and all previous versions will no longer function. This new service will cost $3.99 per month. AOL Desktop Gold will be included with their current safety and security bundles that include software such as McAffe and AOL One Point password manager. While AOL Desktop Gold will introduce new features to the AOL Desktop client, it will retain the design and features of the previous client. The new features are set to include two step authentication, encryption of personal information stored in AOL Desktop software, server side storage of favorites as well as contacts and automatic updating of the software. The software is said to be 'optimized for the speed of broadband internet'. As this is a paid service it will include support related to the AOL service. The service fee appears to cover all users under the account, but the primary user on the account will need to forward the email containing the download like to other users on the account that wish to use the software. The new version of the AOL Desktop client supports Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and will require at least 1024x768 desktop resolution, 266mhz or higher CPU, 1GB of ram and 512MB of hard disk space as well as an internet connection. I am unsure if the AOL Desktop 11 Beta is the AOL Desktop Gold client or if they will be releasing the software sometime after the launch of the paid service (if so hopefully prior to the end of Golds 30 day free trial). I had specifically mentioned the Beta software in my email request for information but unfortunately they did not include anything about it in the reply. The Beta 11 version sports the same system requirements as the 'Gold' desktop client so it is possible it is the same client. The Beta version 11 of the client currently does not support dial up internet connections. It could be that they want to limit the beta access to bring your own access (likely broadband) customers or it could be that they will be releasing an AOL dialer software that will handle the connection separately from the Desktop application. They may also have already closed the beta testing of the dialer or will be testing it prior to the April launch. It is also possible that they may be closing their dial up service, but I have found no indication of this on their website other than the beta software not currently supporting it. https://productcentral.aol.com/products/aol-desktop-gold https://help.aol.com/articles/aol-desktop-gold-faqs I was unable to determine if the Gold version was a paid upgrade from a standard version or if it would be the only version of the software available so I contacted AOL support. This is what I received. It is interesting to see AOL return to a pay model for their Desktop Software after having a free version without customer support for bring your own access customers. I am unsure if the new desktop client will continue to see the advertisements they added in to support offering the free version. It's possible that the ads simply were not effective enough or reaching enough people to continue to be profitable. There's something cool here - you just can't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Popular Post A better question is: why is anyone still using AOL software? M1 MacBook Air 256/8 | iPhone 13 pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 I legit thought AOL died long ago. Check out my guide on how to scan cover art here! Local asshole and 6th generation console enthusiast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Author They're actually still hanging in there by something. Even offer dial up access.http://get.aol.com/plans/dial-up-internet.php There's something cool here - you just can't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 didnt aol die 10 years ago ? main rig Spoiler corsair 750d | evga 1000w g2 | Gigabyte x99 soc champ | 5820k 4.0GHz | 1tb wd blue | 250gb samsung 840 evo | Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 16GB 8x2 DDR4-2400 | MSI GTX 970 x2 | monitor Acer B286HK 28" 4K | razor chroma blackwidow | razor death adder chroma CENTOS 7 SERVER (PLEX&docker stuff) Spoiler NZXT s220 | evga 500w 80+ | AMD FX 8320e | ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 | 2x8gb non ecc ddr3 | WD red 2TBx2 | seagate 160gb | microcenter 8gb flashdrive OS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 27 minutes ago, RGProductions said: A better question is: why is anyone still using AOL software? OP just go ahead and mark this ^ as correct answer Ketchup is better than mustard. GUI is better than Command Line Interface. Dubs are better than subs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 I know someone still using aol 9.0 and i just shake my head everytime i see her log in Windows 10 Edu | Asus ROG Strix X570-F Gaming | Ryzen 9 3950x | 4x 16GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB| ROG Strix GeForce® RTX 2080 SUPER™ Advanced edition | Samsung 980 PRO 500GB + Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB + 8TB Seagate Barracuda | EVGA Supernova 650 G2 | Alienware AW3418DW + LG 34uc87c + Dell u3419w | Asus Zephyrus G14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 I don't understand. Who is still using AOL. What is the market here exactly lmao why would anyone pay for this. Pls lads; if you or your family member is still using AOL services in any capacity, recommend them modern alternatives. It's not 2002, the world's a much better place now; we have the technology "If you ain't first, you're last" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Its for old people who are stuck in the past with dialup Awareness is key. Never enough, even in the face of futility. Speak the truth as if you may never get to say it again. This world is full of ugly. Change it they say. The only way is to reveal the ugly. To change the truth you must first acknowledge it. Never pretend it isn't there. Never bend the knee. Please quote my post in your reply, so that I will be notified and can respond to it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Suckers! Everyone told me I was dumb for saving these, but look at me now! PSU Tier List | CoC Gaming Build | FreeNAS Server Spoiler i5-4690k || Seidon 240m || GTX780 ACX || MSI Z97s SLI Plus || 8GB 2400mhz || 250GB 840 Evo || 1TB WD Blue || H440 (Black/Blue) || Windows 10 Pro || Dell P2414H & BenQ XL2411Z || Ducky Shine Mini || Logitech G502 Proteus Core Spoiler FreeNAS 9.3 - Stable || Xeon E3 1230v2 || Supermicro X9SCM-F || 32GB Crucial ECC DDR3 || 3x4TB WD Red (JBOD) || SYBA SI-PEX40064 sata controller || Corsair CX500m || NZXT Source 210. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Question 1: Who uses AOL? Question 2: Why would anyone want to subscribe for Bloatware Antivirus ™ ? Want to know which mobo to get? Spoiler Choose whatever you need. Any more, you're wasting your money. Any less, and you don't get the features you need. Only you know what you need to do with your computer, so nobody's really qualified to answer this question except for you. chEcK iNsidE sPoilEr fOr a tREat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 16 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said: Suckers! Everyone told me I was dumb for saving these, but look at me now! Reveal hidden contents When you realize the old AOL logo was an abstract Illuminati sign 5950x / ASUS X570 Dark Hero / 32GB 3600mhz / EVGA RTX 3080ti Hybrid / Dell S3422DWG / Logitech G815 / Logitech G502 / Sennheiser HD 599 2021 Razer Blade 14 3070 / S21 Ultra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Author 10 hours ago, djdwosk97 said: Suckers! Everyone told me I was dumb for saving these, but look at me now! I used to save them for a while but decided to ditch them as they were just taking up space. I kept one of the tins and that was about it. Although I never had one of the floppies I don't think. There's something cool here - you just can't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 >paying for aids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Oh no! Those elderly people everywhere! Tbh there's probably a good reason no news agency has covered it. No one cares. CPU: Ryzen 9 5900 Cooler: EVGA CLC280 Motherboard: Gigabyte B550i Pro AX RAM: Kingston Hyper X 32GB 3200mhz Storage: WD 750 SE 500GB, WD 730 SE 1TB GPU: AMD Radeon 6700XT 12GB PSU: Corsair SF600 Case: Streacom DA2 Monitor: LG 27GL83B Mouse: Razer Basilisk V2 Keyboard: G.Skill KM780 Cherry MX Red Speakers: Mackie CR5BT MiniPC - Sold for $100 Profit Spoiler CPU: Intel i3 4160 Cooler: Integrated Motherboard: Integrated RAM: G.Skill RipJaws 16GB DDR3 Storage: Transcend MSA370 128GB GPU: Intel 4400 Graphics PSU: Integrated Case: Shuttle XPC Slim Monitor: LG 29WK500 Mouse: G.Skill MX780 Keyboard: G.Skill KM780 Cherry MX Red Budget Rig 1 - Sold For $750 Profit Spoiler CPU: Intel i5 7600k Cooler: CryOrig H7 Motherboard: MSI Z270 M5 RAM: Crucial LPX 16GB DDR4 Storage: Intel S3510 800GB GPU: Nvidia GTX 980 PSU: Corsair CX650M Case: EVGA DG73 Monitor: LG 29WK500 Mouse: G.Skill MX780 Keyboard: G.Skill KM780 Cherry MX Red OG Gaming Rig - Gone Spoiler CPU: Intel i5 4690k Cooler: Corsair H100i V2 Motherboard: MSI Z97i AC ITX RAM: Crucial Ballistix 16GB DDR3 Storage: Kingston Fury 240GB GPU: Asus Strix GTX 970 PSU: Thermaltake TR2 Case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX Monitor: Dell P2214H x2 Mouse: Logitech MX Master Keyboard: G.Skill KM780 Cherry MX Red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Author 2 minutes ago, dizmo said: Oh no! Those elderly people everywhere! Tbh there's probably a good reason no news agency has covered it. No one cares. Well that and they only started sending out emails to primary screen names about the upcoming change yesterday. When I did the write up it was less than 6 hours after first finding out about it from my father. I was actually quite pleased with how quickly AOL replied to my request for more information, even if it was probably just a one click response template. There's something cool here - you just can't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Wait are they just being slimy and tricking all the old/unaware people into paying for this without knowing? Bleigh! Ever hear of AC series? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Author This is the entire email being sent out to the primary screen name on AOL accounts (possibly just the ones that log into the desktop software AND are on the free bring your own access plan). 25 minutes ago, Nup said: Wait are they just being slimy and tricking all the old/unaware people into paying for this without knowing? Spoiler ^email images in this spoiler because they're very tall.^ There's something cool here - you just can't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 My grandmother uses AOL still. She owns a successful business as well... My eyes see the past… My camera lens sees the present… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Author 1 minute ago, Zodiark1593 said: My grandmother uses AOL still. She owns a successful business as well... Heck I still use my AOL email as my primary address. I just don't use the software. I get my email thru my phone 95% of the time and the other 5% of the time it's emails I want to open on the computer and I use mail.aol.com There's something cool here - you just can't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 13 hours ago, huilun02 said: Its for old people who are stuck in the past with dialup Someone needs to remix that into a song somehow. Ketchup is better than mustard. GUI is better than Command Line Interface. Dubs are better than subs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 14 hours ago, Dan Castellaneta said: I legit thought AOL died long ago. Believe it or not, they still exist. They're just not as big as they used to be. The dot-com bubble burst in 2000 really fucked them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 Despite reading the entire OP, I had no idea what "AOL Desktop Software" actually did until I went to the AOL website and it dawned on me that it's software used for connecting to the Internet(?). I thought the whole "use this software to access the internet instead of just letting Windows manage the damn thing" died out along with 56K internet. CPU: Ryzen 9 3900X | Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S | MB: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite | RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V 32GB 3600MHz | GPU: EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra | Case: Fractal Design Define R6 Blackout | SSD1: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB | SSD2: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB | HDD1: Seagate Barracuda 2TB | HDD2: Seagate Barracuda 4TB | Monitors: Dell S2716DG + Asus MX259H | Keyboard: Ducky Shine 5 (Cherry MX Brown) | PSU: Corsair RMx 850W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 31 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said: Someone needs to remix that into a song somehow. My Build: Spoiler CPU: i7 4770k GPU: GTX 780 Direct CUII Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero SSD: 840 EVO 250GB HDD: 2xSeagate 2 TB PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 12, 2017 15 hours ago, Cracklingice said: They're actually still hanging in there by something. Even offer dial up access.http://get.aol.com/plans/dial-up-internet.php They know their customers: Save money, explore new opportunities, volunteer, and much more with AARP (available to 50+ age group). from the page you linked Linux Daily Driver: CPU: R5 2400G Motherboard: MSI B350M Mortar RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 HDD: 1TB POS HDD from an old Dell SSD: 256GB WD Black NVMe M.2 Case: Phanteks Mini XL DS PSU: 1200W Corsair HX1200 Gaming Rig: CPU: i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz Motherboard: Gigabyte Z270-N Wi-Fi ITX RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 GPU: Asus Turbo GTX 1070 @ 2GHz HDD: 3TB Toshiba something or other SSD: 512GB WD Black NVMe M.2 Case: Shared with Daily - Phanteks Mini XL DS PSU: Shared with Daily - 1200W Corsair HX1200 Server CPU: Ryzen7 1700 Motherboard: MSI X370 SLI Plus RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 GPU: Nvidia GT 710 HDD: 1X 10TB Seagate ironwolf NAS Drive. 4X 3TB WD Red NAS Drive. SSD: Adata 128GB Case: NZXT Source 210 (white) PSU: EVGA 650 G2 80Plus Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...