# Wow!  AOL actually did somthing right!



## whitesaint (May 16, 2002)

Wow.  That is all I have to say.  This new version of AOL really kicks @$$.  Kudos to AOL...


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## whitesaint (May 16, 2002)

Another pic....


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## whitesaint (May 16, 2002)

And another one....


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## Matrix Agent (May 16, 2002)

Credit where credit is due....


Wonder what the UK people think about this?


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## doofy10 (May 16, 2002)

It looks so nice, I think I might have to get it myself!!!  Are there any bugs??  Also, what version is this??  5.1??  6.0??
-Doofy


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## deagle five o (May 16, 2002)

after 4 years with 5.0 its about time, but i do got to say " good things come to those who wait"
To anyone from AOL Mac Dpt. : Damn nice job.


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## ablack6596 (May 16, 2002)

cool! I wish I had an AOL acount so I could update my copy .  Got ot force friend to come over


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## voice- (May 16, 2002)

Bet Ed'll find some flaws...


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## adambyte (May 16, 2002)

Um, well, while installing this new version of AOL, I saw the phrase "Installing Gecko browser..."  So I don't know that it's Mozilla or what.... take it as you list.


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## phatsharpie (May 16, 2002)

From the look of the screenshot, it looks like the default browser is powered by Gecko (look at the form elements). I don't know if it's possible to just include the display engine from IE 5.x on the Mac.

Gecko would actually be perfect for AOL, since it's cross platform anyway.


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## dricci (May 16, 2002)

w00t! Thank you, AOL! AOL is fighting the evil IE and promoting standards. w00t!

Monopoly Fight!


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## satanicpoptart (May 16, 2002)

die aol die and burn, the windows version sucks so if this one is better then i would laugh really hard


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## dricci (May 16, 2002)

> _Originally posted by satanicpoptart _
> *die aol die and burn, the windows version sucks so if this one is better then i would laugh really hard *



You don't seem to understand the significance of this, AOL could just reignite the browser wars by promoting a default browser engine that is based on standards instead of monopoly. In the long run, this is a good thing for everyone!

Yes, AOL sucks, but anyone who is promoting standards is OK in my book, until they try to take over the standards. Hmm.


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## deagle five o (May 16, 2002)

toolbar looks better this way if you ask me.


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## macridah (May 16, 2002)

check out this article ...

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-915657.html

How's the performance on this AOL beta.  So far, it looks cool.


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## adambyte (May 17, 2002)

yay! I thought that was a good sign! Yay for Gecko! I'm so gladd AOL (a huge company) is using a standards compliant browser. Thank God. and... just out of curiosity, what version of AOL for Windows will now have the Gecko engine?

I like the new interface elements, in general... blends in with Apple's aqua much much better. 

HOWEVER... that toolbar takes up SO much space now! It used to be small and compact, even with icons, but now it's really huge! Fine for my PowerBook, but I hesitate to install this on my mother's Blueberry iBook with only 800X600 resolution. *sigh* Oh well.


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## dricci (May 17, 2002)

Yeah, the toolbar is kinda huge, and it looks more XP than Aqua, but it is better than before.

Maybe this is a start of AOL versions for Mac and Windows keeping up with each other? And a new Mac AOL beta with new GUI and browser before the Windows counterpart, wow! This Apple relationship sure is paying off!!

Apple and AOL, sitting in a tree.
K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
First comes love, then comes merger, then comes.. monopoly? LOL, I don't know.  

I'm just glad they're using Gecko, IE sucks and it's time somebody did something about it, and the #1 ISP (users, not service) is the PERFECT front to wage the browser wars on. Ya for Standards!


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## edX (May 17, 2002)

yea, AOL are the good guys 

and in other aol related news today, click here to read about aol's settlement for monoplistic practices. 

naw, aol wouldn't do anything to try and control the internet like m$. never. 

so let's all sign up for aol now that they have done something half decent for macs after all these years of treating us like sh*t. Be sure to type aol keyword 'sucker' when you get your shiny new account. I am pretty sure that link will have lots more pretty pics.


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## adambyte (May 17, 2002)

hehe, Ed, I love the fact that you still hate AOL's actions, despite the fact that they did one nice thing for us. Makes me still have hope that there are rebels around here.  

<rant>
btw, I myself, do not use the AOL software... I have a copy around just in case... you see, my parents have AOL accounts, and they are so tied to it, there's no way they're letting go... so anything that's good for AOL software means it's good for my parents, which means I get less questions like "Why isn't THIS loading?", which means I am annoyed less. This makes Adam happy.
</rant>


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## Javintosh (May 18, 2002)

I don't like AOL one bit, but I think this is a good thing for the internet. I also think that AOL is doing this strictly out of self-interest and not because of any altruistic reason.

Gecko *is* standards compliant which helps AOL by difussing Micro$haft's grip on internet standards. I'm sure that AOL would do what Micro$ucks is doing if they could. However, they can't. They are doing the next best thing which is to try to make sure Micro$tiff does not get too tight a grip around AOL's testes by turning HTML into MS-HTML.  

In any case, having a large number of internet users using a standards-compliant browser can only be a good thing.

I'm glad AOL did this, but I have no illusions about their motives. I don't have to like AOL to like what they have done.


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## sithious (May 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ed Spruiell _
> *yea, AOL are the good guys
> 
> and in other aol related news today, click here to read about aol's settlement for monoplistic practices.
> ...



thanks ed, you're so right. aol is crap, and just because they've released one nice thing they aren't redeemed in my opinion.


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## hazmat (May 18, 2002)

I think AOL is a freakin' joke.  I bet it will be the only OS X software to be able to take down the entire OS.  Their software blows.  What is pretty when the functionality isn't there?  That's why I hated Mac OS until X came out.  I couldn't deal with the lack of stability.  One app taking down the OS?  Hello!  Even MICROSOFT got that by the mid-90s with NT, thanks to VMS.  Anyway, the stereotypical AOL user is an embarrassment to the Internet.

The only good think I can see coming out of this is how many users AOL having, and maybe some influence.  Then again, what's to make sites change their current "If you use AOL, click here" actions?

"With customers so easy to use, no wonder we're number one!"


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## fryke (May 18, 2002)

I don't quite understand this erhm... misleaded hype on this thread. This software is buttugly! It may look 'aquafied', but I'd guess that their designers have misread the message 'please aquafy the interface' with 'DROWN the interface'. It looks more like the jelly interface of Roxio Toast Titanium than Aqua. Even Microsoft did better with their Office v. X package...


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## edX (May 18, 2002)

uh, i wasn't going to mention that fryke. after all, everyone has different tastes. _some_ people must find this childish design to be wonderful.

but now that you mention it....


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## Izzy (May 18, 2002)

Runs very smoothly on my Powerbook...I'm happy.  The toolbar is far too big though, I can always switch back to the old version if this one annoys me too much.


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## dricci (May 18, 2002)

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple sent some of their programmers over to AOL to help them with the new version.

I bet the W3C peed their pants from excitement when they heard this announcement


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## ulrik (May 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by adambyte _
> *Um, well, while installing this new version of AOL, I saw the phrase "Installing Gecko browser..."  So I don't know that it's Mozilla or what.... take it as you list. *



Gecko is the name of the rendering engine behind Mozilla, Chimera, Netscape...


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## xyber233 (May 18, 2002)

Just change the prefs to "just text". It looks a lot better and it isnt cluttered.


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## ulrik (May 18, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ed Spruiell _
> *uh, i wasn't going to mention that fryke. after all, everyone has different tastes. some people must find this childish design to be wonderful.
> 
> but now that you mention it.... *



When I looked onto these screenshots, it kinda reminded me on my first WinXP experience...

...sometimes, I really apperciate the cold, technical but 100% efficient GUI from Solaris or IRIX....I wouldn't wanna work in such an environment all time, but it has it's advantages...as does Aqua have...but that AOL think looks like WinXP going Aqua...


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## xoot (May 18, 2002)

Can you remove AOL?


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## ulrik (May 18, 2002)

I'm trying since I am ten, but they won't let me


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## whitesaint (May 19, 2002)

I didn't put too much thought into the new version of AOL until I read your guys' posts.  This is version 5.2 I think.  Overall,  the product is getting alot better, but the company needs to get its arse whooped.


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## THEMACER (May 19, 2002)

Can you send me a direct link to download this version of aol. I am only getting regular macosx 5.0


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## adambyte (May 19, 2002)

What you have to do is go to keyword: beta to download the latest AOL. You might have to sign up to be a beta tester.


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## Jermsmingy (May 20, 2002)

Hey guys, 

For some reason AOL is not letting me sign on.    Is there anyway that someone can post the link or something so I can get it.  If there is a way to get it through my regular browser I will do it that way.  But I can't figure out where to get it off of AOL's site.  Thanks!


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## 10bellies (May 20, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Matrix Agent _
> *Wonder what the UK people think about this? *


We were informed by Dominic Wells (one of the AOL UK bosses) that after AOL5, there will be *NO* further development or support for Mac users, due to it being "A minority market"

So, basically, AOL UK are going to lose a lot of customers due to AOL US continuing to support Mac.

Personally, I have just ditched them and gone onto a 512k cable connection instead.


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## dtmdoc (May 20, 2002)

i dont understand at all why AOL UK did that.


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## Koelling (May 20, 2002)

AOL has in the past been so backwards that one cringes to think about it. Even now it is so "internet-my-way" that most people on this board (read educated people) will never use it. But this will help the mac community because like it or not, people refuse to change.

Anyone remember the keynote from Steve Jobs where he laid to rest OS 9? He said something that not too many people gave much thought but it seems really overwhelming if you think about it. He said that out of the 20 million Mac users, only 1 or 2 million use OS X. 

Considering how much better OS X is over 9 I would think that number would be much higher but then I look at the people I know (not including those I met through the campus MUG) about 3/5ths of them are still in OS 9 for one reason or another, most of which is the comfort level that 9 gives to someone who is used to it. 

So I don't see AOL ever loosing the customers they have unless it's to MSN which will be just as bad if given the chance. As long as AOL is a necessary evil, it might as well be not quite so evil.


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## googolplex (May 20, 2002)

well gecko is good, but the rest of it sucks.....


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## hazmat (May 20, 2002)

> _Originally posted by googolplex _
> *well gecko is good, but the rest of it sucks..... *



Yeah, they STILL cannot get the colors right between AOL's IM and AIM.  If you use a black background with AIM, an AOL user won't see their text because it will change it to black text on black background.


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## xaqintosh (Jul 1, 2002)

1. it's not aqua, its luna.
2. AOL is still slow and pathetic, like it always has been.
3. AOL is just as bad as Microsoft, they just don't have as many users
4. after 4 years of the same version, I would expect something WAY better than just a new interface.

--this from a former AOL user


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## themacko (Jul 1, 2002)

1. It's aqua now, or at least _more_ aqua.  Gotta give 'em credit for trying.
2. AOL is slow, but only if you use it as your dial-up ISP.  If you use it as an interface for the internet over an existing connection (like my family does) it's not that bad at all.
3. How are they just as bad as Microsoft?  They aren't exactly a monopoly.
4. Haven't tried the new Mac version since I don't use AOL anymore.

AOL is not that bad.  It was my first ISP and my folks still use it over their broadband cable connection.  I don't see what the big problem is.


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## hazmat (Jul 1, 2002)

I have only ever used AOL when on people's machines who use it.  I see it as an issue of the right tool for the job.  If I want to use the Web, I open a web browser.  AOL's web browser sucks.  If I want to use email, I open a MUA.  AOL's email sucks.  Etc.  It's a series of poor compromises.


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