-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- ----- Original Message ----- From: BugNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: BugNet Subscribers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 6:42 PM Subject: Test BugNet Alert (2/8/2000) AOL 5 Found Unruly But Not Reprehensible > Greetings from BugNet, > > Please find below a BugNet Alert concerning the recent allegations > leveled at AOL by Prodigy. At the heart of Prodigy's complaint is the > notion that AOL 5 cripples all other ISPs, leaving users with seamless > access to AOL but no access to their secondary ISP, such as Prodigy or > Earthlink. Without diving into the verbal slings and arrows exchanged > between AOL and Prodigy, we have tested AOL 5 to see if indeed > there are any bugs, which might make Prodigy's complaint palpable. > > See below for details, or visit us online at: > http://www.bugnet.com/Secure2/alerts/bugalert_21100.html. > > As always, for a listing of this and other BugNet Alerts, browse to > http://www.bugnet.com/Secure2/alerts/alerts.html. > > Best regards, > > Bradley F. Shimmin, Editor in Chief > > file://--------------------- BugNet: Alert 2/11/2000 ---------------------// > > AOL 5 Found Unruly But Not Reprehensible > > KeyLabs Tests Measure Issues Between AOL 5 and Prodigy Internet > > by Bradley F. Shimmin > > It's nearly spring and litigation is in the air thanks to a class-action > > lawsuit brought against AOL for its alleged mistreatment of users, who > choose to use more than one ISP. At issue is the assertion that AOL 5 > prevents Prodigy's Internet software from performing as promised when > the two applications are forced to reside on the same machine. > > Rather than report on the slings and arrows hurled between AOL and its > purported victim, we've simply put Prodigy's claims to the test. With > help from KeyLabs, we've tested the following complaints: > > 1. That AOL 5 launches when users connect to the Internet via Prodigy > Internet. > 2. That AOL 5 prevents Prodigy Internet users from browsing the Web via > non-AOL 5 browsers. > 3. That AOL 5 prevents users from accessing their existing e-mail > software or shows them an older version of Outlook Express, when they > should see version 5. > 4. That AOL 5 asks users to start AOL after they have just connected via > > Prodigy Internet. > 5. That AOL 5 prevents users from becoming Prodigy Internet members, > canceling their registration. > > Following guidelines provided by the Prodigy support staff, we attempted > > to reproduce each purported bug -- we met with mixed success. In all, > we found that AOL 5 does indeed act in a way that may interfere with the > > smooth operation of Prodigy Internet software (as well as the software > of more traditional ISPs such as Earthlink). However, in only one > instance were we able to validate the existence of a genuine software > bug. > > AOL Launches at Will > > With the first problem, concerning the automatic launch of AOL 5, we did > > witness the described behavior. However, the problem stems from the > Windows architecture itself, and from AOL 5's legitimate use of that > architecture. When you install a piece of communications software such > as Netscape Communicator, Windows allows that application to register > itself as the default application. > > For example, if you tell AOL 5 to become your default Web and e-mail > service, whenever you double click on a URL shortcut or saved Web page, > AOL 5 will launch. The problem here (as with issue number four, which we > > will discuss below) is that if you are already connected to the > Internet, AOL 5's actions can be disastrous. > > On all test machines, if AOL 5 launched and attempted to dial the > Internet while we were already connected, we were faced with a Blue > Screen of Death. Of course, this forces a complete reboot and disk scan > (to check for cross-linked files or misplaced chains). Many times, > though, our machines rebooted spontaneously! Either way, the risk is > lost data. > > The only cure for this misbehavior is to revoke AOL 5's status as > default Web and e-mail service. Just follow these quick steps: > > 1. From your Start menu, select Settings and open the Control Panel > window. > 2. Once there, double click on the icon labeled Internet Options. > 3. At the ensuing dialog box, click on the Programs tab. > 4. There, expand the drop-down menu for both E-mail and Newsgroups and > select your desired applications (not America Online). > 5. At the bottom of this tab, place a check mark where Windows asks if > Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is your default > browser. > 6. Click OK and then close the Control Panel window. > 7. Open Internet Explorer and when asked, indicate that it should now be > > your default Web browser. Netscape Communicator users, if you say no to > this question, you should be able to launch your browser and select it > as the default. > > AOL Disables Other Web Browsers > > The problem as described by Prodigy indicates that Windows 95 users may > not be able to browse the Internet in any other browser but that > provided by AOL 5. In our testing, we were unable to duplicate this > problem with Windows 95 (version b). We did not see this behavior on > Windows 98 or Windows NT machines. > > That said, we suspect that Windows 95 (version a) users may run into > this problem as they are using an older version of Microsoft's Dial-Up > Networking (DUN) software. If you believe that you're having such > problems, Prodigy recommends that you easily download the latest DUN > (version 1.3) from Microsoft at > http://support.microsoft.com/support/downloads/DP3267.ASP. > > AOL Removes E-mail Software > > We were able to reproduce the problem as described by Prodigy, in which > AOL 5 appears to remove users' existing e-mail client or replace it with > > an older version. As with problem number one, the real issue at hand > here is one of timing. > > If you install AOL 5, and you don't have any other Web browser or e-mail > > client installed, your machine will think that it contains Internet > Explorer 5 (and by inference, Outlook Express). You see, AOL utilizes > Microsoft's Internet Explorer HTML rendering engine. When you then sign > up for Prodigy, the installation software will think that you already > possess Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, when in actuality, you > only have Internet Explorer. > > To remedy this situation, all you have to do is reinstall Internet > Explorer 5 and ensure that it also installs Outlook Express. Of course, > you may still need to set Outlook Express as your default e-mail client > as described above. > > AOL Tries to Start Automatically > > Closely related to problem number one, this issue, we believe, is > actually a bug and not just a consequence of the Windows architecture. > Even if you don't tell AOL that you want it to be your default Web and > e-mail service, it will open a pop-up box asking you to start AOL, > whenever you establish a TCP/IP or PPP connection via another ISP. > > Certainly, this is annoying. But more than that, it is misleading: AOL > appears to many as an interface to the Internet -- not specifically a > dialer (as with Windows DUN software). When this pop-up box appears, > many users might mistakenly start AOL to use its Web browser, for > example. If they do, their machines may present them with a Blue Screen > of Death, as with problem number one. > > Fortunately, the solution is quite easy. All you have to do is turn off > AOL's Auto Start Options as follows: > 1. In your system tray, right click on the AOL icon and select the > option entitled AOL Auto Start Options. > 2. On the resulting pop-up box, select the radio button next to the text > > indicating that you don't want to use any Auto Start options. > 3. Click OK. > > Now, when you establish a connection to the Internet, AOL won't ask this > > ridiculous question, and you will be spared the possibility of serious > data corruption. > > AOL Blocks Potential Prodigy Members > > We were unable to validate this problem, though it's easy to understand > why some users may run into troubles in trying to sign up for Prodigy > after installing AOL 5. > > According to Prodigy, its sign-up process automatically launches a Web > browser at a certain point in the procedure. If AOL 5 has been set as > the default browser, those users might get kicked out of the sign-up > process as Prodigy attempts to start a Web browser. > > Why? One theory is that AOL 5 registers the application AOL.EXE as the > default Web browser with instructions to Auto Start. The problem here is > > that AOL.EXE is also the main AOL interface for e-mail and other > Internet services. When this application starts, it doesn't just launch > a browser, it launches the complete AOL application. Since Prodigy is > expecting to pass a Web page to an application that doesn't accept Web > pages, the process grinds to a halt. > > Whether that's the case or not, our testing did not reveal any such > problems, although Prodigy did reprimand us for not having a Web browser > > installed as we tried to sign-up for its services. But simply setting > the already present Internet Explorer as the default browser allowed us > to continue on unabated. > > Conclusions > > At the end of the day, our testing showed that AOL 5 does indeed perform > > some operations that could be considered dangerous: trying to dial over > an already established Internet connections, in particular. However, > beyond those problems, we found that it acted in accordance with the > parameters set down by Microsoft Windows. They may not seem fair, and in > > many cases, they can lead to more trouble than they save, but they are > allowed and encouraged rules of engagement. > > Regardless of our findings, if you're experiencing any troubles > whatsoever with Prodigy Internet and AOL 5, we recommend that you > contact the folks at Prodigy technical support directly. They were > instrumental in providing us with a great deal of the information used > in performing this evaluation. They have set up a dedicated telephone > support area (just press the number six after dialing 800.213.0992) and > a very helpful how-to page at > http://www.prodigy.com/pcom/aolproblems_prodigysolutions/rescue_index.html. > > > > URLs of Note: > > AOL: http://www.aol.com/ > > AOL 5: http://free.aol.com/tryaolfree/index.adp?124510 > > Prodigy: http://www.prodigy.com/ > > Prodigy Help on AOL 5: > http://www.prodigy.com/pcom/aolproblems_prodigysolutions/rescue_index.html > > Further information on setting Communicator as the default Web browser: > http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19971009-21.html > > Microsoft Windows Update site: http://www.windowsupdate.com/ > > > file://--------------------- BugNet: Alert 2/11/2000 ---------------------// > > (c) Copyright 1994-2000 BugNet. All rights reserved. > (r) BugNet is a Registered Trademark of BugNet. > All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. > > Software testing for BugNet is provided by KeyLabs (www.keylabs.com), > the world's leading e-commerce testing facility. > > > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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