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AOL Plans A Standalone Browser
Patik writes "America Online is creating its own standalone browser, aimed at employees who cannot install AOL software at their workstations. The browser will be based on Internet Explorer but will include other features such as tabbed browsing that displays a thumbnail of the page as you pass your cursor over it. The browser will also integrate AOL's media player and will be able to access AOL-only content."
Would somebody please explain how AOL thinks users who can't install the full AOL client on their workstations thanks to sysadmin-imposed policies will be able to get the AOL Browser installed? Whatever policy stands against the AOL client will most likely shoot down this AOL Browser too. PHBs don't want people playing on the Internet during company time, and people are going to be hard pressed to show a business-reason to be accessing the AOL-exclusive entertainment content on company time and resources.
This seems like at face value a project that won't reach its target audience and therefore is doomed to failure.
AOL had a browser. In fact, they had a whole browser company. They chose to run it into the ground, like seemingly everything else they've touched. (Proper respect for at least funding Mozilla development, though)
Now they plan to introduce a bloated IE shell (of which there are already several superior ones) with the intent of allowing their customers access to AOL's premium content. First of all, there is nothing left on AOL that the rest of the world would be particularly interested in. The global, public Internet has already won resoundingly against AOL's private little sanitized domain.
And then they finish off with this bit of idiocy:
Clearly offerring another program to install will solve the "people can't install our software" problem.
Why doesn't AOL at least work on improving their horrible web portal if they're so keen on getting people to access their worthless content? Oh that's right, they did... they made it all flash. How delightfully MODERN!
What a worthless company. I bed Ted Turner still shits his pants daily thinking of the mistake he made merging with them. Everything AOL touches turns to shit.
As I say every time this subject comes up
when you get a new PC, it's probably going to have a little icon on the desktop saying 'sign up to AOL'. How do you think that icon gets there? Does AOL have a separate deal with every OEM, with all the attendant crap that implies, or does it get this sweet bit of marketing straight from MS? (hint: it's the second one)
hence the reluctance to dump IE, lest AOL be dumped from the OEM desktop.
Screw you all! I'm off to the pub
This is the best joke that I've heard all week. A company that owned Netscape and who manged to run it into the ground is planning on bringing out an IE variant browser.
Why don't they just burn money - it would cut out the middle man.
Si tacuisses philosophus mansisses. If you had kept quiet, you would have remained a philosopher.
That AOL would consider IE instead of Mozilla speaks volumes about AOL's greed. AOL is morphing into another Juniper.
Keep in mind, I signed onto AOL in like... 1992 maybe? Based on what I've seen on other peoples' computers, it's only gone downhill from there. It's bloated, tends to cause Windows problems in corporate environments, etc. Where do they get off? The last thing IT managers need is AOL encouraging imcompetent users to install software. Someone seriously needs to put them out of their misery. How can we expect to accomodate cross-platform / cross-browser web applications in the future if we continue to muddy the waters with nonsense?
We are one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. Back to you with the weather, Bob!
Without the obvious payoffs or other leverage from Microsoft to continue using MSIE and its components for their software tools, what other reasons are possible or likely for AOL's motivation in doing such things? After all, AOL owns Netscape and because of that, it has a perfect tool to enable a secure internet experience for their users. Need ActiveX? There are plug-ins that allow ActiveX to work I've heard... never used them but I've heard they exist and they work.
My assumption is that Microsoft has somehow influenced AOL to continue with MSIE dependancy. But I'd rather be able to consider other possibilities as well -- but I cannot think of any. Can you?
This has been discussed two months ago here, no?
Because to stay on Microsoft's non-enemy list, they have to suck up. When you buy a OEM pc, you get an AOL desktop icon. That is a deal with Microsoft, now, if AOL wanted to end that deal(break the contract, possibly), then sure, Firefox would be the default AOL browser and the core of the AOL standalone-browser.
:
HOWEVER, it would just be plain dumb to give Earthlink or MSN those potential clients without fighting for them. AOL is hurting already, they can't turn their back on new users.
What AOL SHOULD do, is...
1. Switch to firefox on their AOL software,
2. hire a team of a few coders to clean up the code and modularize it. Making it easy to add custom plug-ins, but tearing out the bloat and making it run faster.
2b. This should go hand-in-hand(if not already) with smart-caching servers and compression to the AOL servers, for faster connections on web surfing.
3. License ad-aware and bundle it into the same interface as their Virus blocker(the user thinks they are the same, anyway).
3b. This should(as part of firefox) block pop-ups.
3c. (It would be neat to have a tagline at the login/out of AOL software that said
"With AOL and Mozilla technology, you have avoided receiving X ad-ware programs, Y Viruses, and Z pop-ups, but don't mention, we are happy to help"
That would give users a constant, GOOD feeling on using AOL, to mitigate frustrations and lower temptations to switch to MSN, etc.)
4. add smart-spam filters and 'report spam' buttons that learn, etc.
5. cut prices to 19.99/month for the whole package. AOL users are leaving to cheaper generic dialup services or just paying a few bucks more for DSL.
6. buy a cable ISP, and do everything you can to migrate your users to broadband..
7. Have Time Warner bundle on-demand over IP(o-doip?) movies (pay-per-view) to AOL subscribers only.
(Imagine the TW archive in an iTunes store-like system. 3 bucks a movie, watch as much as you want for 3-5 days, and it self-destructs.)
8. Beyond which, they should bundle(as part of their modular system) toys like video and voice chat from a Skype deal
9. Exclusive content and deals, iTunes discounts, sneak-peaks at movie trailers, netflix, etc.
AOL users either want a cheaper dial-up ($35/month). AOL is in a horrible mid-$20/month range with crappy software that noone likes. People are getting smart and want to change in droves. AOL/TW needs to give users a reason to use AOL that isn't just name-brand and momentum.
Chance of any of this happening? Nill.
How many people are going to click "no" when IE asks them if they want to run a signed AOL control?
Oh yeah? How many people will click "no" to this:
...
I'd bet if a window came up and asked that, 99% of the users would click "Yes"... What can you do? I don't know where the world is coming to.
So AOL owns netscape. They just did a press release about re-releasing netscape. I cant remember exactlly how to phrase this, but Netscape is built off the same technoogy that mozilla and firefox are right?
So Netscape, mozilla and firefox are available, plus 1/2 a dozen other browsers.
So now AOL is creating a new browser, other then the one used in the AOL applicaiton, other then Netscape, and other then the other browsers that use the same technology, and the ones that exist today?
What is this biazzaro world!?!
TruePunk | Games
I'm sorry but you're wrong about the processor. With that amount of RAM anything over 1GHz, even a Celeron, is overkill. And those specs are otherwise more-or-less the same as my 2-year old pc which runs win98 or gentoo perfectly happily. OK so I get about 0.2fps in the UT2004 demo with it, but for your typical grandmother, and probably for your typical office worker, those specs will be fine.
I am trolling
That is very decent hardware for $300, and it also comes with a year of free internet at AOL. 12 months * $22 a month = $264. Retail, this PC is only costing the user $36. I doubt it's even close to possible to find anything near that PC for $36. So, Mr. Slashbot, can we stop the knee-jerk AOL and MS bashing and say this is a GREAT deal for new people to get onto the web?
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'.