-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">
</A> -Cui Bono?-
Bill,
You can't say you weren't warned. There were two guys who three years ago
left AOL, were actually fired, because they wanted no part of what they
saw AOL developing for the future of it's members in order to gather
information from each and every user in the version at that time, 4.0.
They went to Brazil, set up shop, and then wrote to everyone on AOL's
mailing list at the time and discredited AOL for it's covert actions. I got
one of those letters while I was on AOL and it was not long after that I
found a new local server. I too, found that the program had rewritten many
of my internal files on my computer. Once I got away from AOL, got my
computer hard drive reformatted, I found that I had less screen freezes,
less crashes, and less "buggy" problems than I'd had as a member.
Needless to say, AOL persued those two guys that left AOL to warn everyone
of the potential dangers of the hidden agenda, and never heard from or
about them again.
NOW, I don't know why I ever joined up with AOL, except it was the thing
to do six years ago, when they were new and I was computer illiterate.
I hope you get your computer problems resolved... but don't expect to until
you choose to break free from the monopolizers.
eagle 1
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Kingsbury" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2000 1:52 AM
Subject: [CTRL] 22 Million Members v. AOL: A Class Action Suit?
> -Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">
> </A> -Cui Bono?-
>
> " In all, I found AOL had added or altered 229 files on my system,
> including over 4.5MB of Windows system files! It significantly
> (and unnecessarily) altered my networking setup. It even diddled
> with Power Management settings in my Registry! "
>
> ...... Did they add stealth logging features to AOL-5 (for Windows)
> to track details of how you use your computer, and send the results
> back to AOL's big-brother database ? Read the above, one more time.
>
>
> ~~~~~~~
> From: "Fred Langa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: [langalist] 17-Jan-00 LangaList
>
>
> 1) WARNING! The "Upgrade of Death"
>
> Long-time readers may remember my first experience with AOL 5.0 (when
> I tried to upgrade a system from AOL 4 to AOL 5). I'll spare you the
> details, but after trying every trick I knew to get the system working
> properly after the upgrade, the punchline was "Format C:\"
>
> I wrote about my unhappy experiences in this newsletter
> (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/1999/nov-1-99.htm#aol)
> and was amazed at the flood of mail I got in reply from readers
> whose experiences were as bad-- -or even worse!--- than mine.
> (See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/1999/nov- 4-99.htm#aol1)
>
> With all that, I decided simply to try avoiding AOL, but it's a
> marketing behemoth that just won't quit. Day after day, readers would
> write to me or to the WinMag staff complaining about AOL5.0. Then,
> last week, with the announcement of AOL taking over Time Warner and
> becoming the largest online/content source on the planet, it became
> clear I needed a closer look:
>
> Because I knew from reader mail and from painful personal experience
> that upgrading from 4.0 to 5.0 often brought major trouble, I decided
> to try a clean install of AOL 5.0.
>
> It was eye-opening. In all, I found AOL had added or altered 229 files
> on my system, including over 4.5MB of Windows system files!
> It significantly (and unnecessarily) altered my networking setup.
> It even diddled with Power Management settings in my Registry!
>
> I'll detail everything--- including what files were altered, how you
> can tell what files and settings AOL altered on your machine, which
> kinds of users and systems AOL is good for, and which it's really bad
> for--- in this week's column on the WinMag.Com site. (The full column
> is far too detailed to present in an email, such as this newsletter.)
>
> In the end, I did get AOL installed and running. If you're even
> thinking about using AOL5.0, please check out the column first:
> It may save you a ton of headaches.
>
> If you're already using AOL5, then the column will help you determine
> exactly what the software already did to your system.
>
> And either way, please join in the discussion: Is your AOL experience
> different from mine? Have you found ways around the upgrade hassles?
> What do you think the future will hold as AOL emerges as the biggest
> media company on the planet? Join in the discussion starting in the
> afternoon, EST (gmt-5) TUESDAY (a day later than normal, due to the
> US holiday on Monday) 18-Jan-00 at
> http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/
>
> (Note: if you get there early, you'll see the previous column on
> computing resolutions for the new year---and if you haven't read that
> one, check it out too!)
>
>
> ~~~~~~~
> From: "Fred Langa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: [langalist] 20-Jan-00 LangaList
>
>
> 2) "AO Hell" Saga Continues
>
> In the last issue, I told you about The AOL 5.0 "Upgrade of Death:"
> After performing a clean install on a test system, I found AOL had
> added or altered 229 files, including over 4.5MB of Windows system
> files! It significantly (and unnecessarily) altered my networking
> setup.
>
> It even diddled with Power Management settings in my Registry! Some
> readers mistakenly thought that by using the "bring your own access"
> option (where you pay a cut rate for AOL access and use your own ISP
> to connect to AOL) you could avoid the networking hassles I
> encountered.
>
> Nope.
>
> AOL appears to install everything, all the time. The "bring your
> own access" option only changes things on AOL's end of the
> connection---how you're billed and how you're allowed into their
> system. It doesn't change anything on your end: You'll still end up
> with your networking and dial-up settings unnecessary diddled with.
>
> I discuss all this in this week's WinMag column. Some readers tried to
> read the full column and join the week-long discussion at the WinMag
> site a day early this week (Monday was a US holiday)--- but it's up
> and running now:
>
> In that online column, I detail everything--- including what files
> were altered, how you can tell what files and settings AOL altered on
> your machine, which kinds of users and systems AOL is good for, and
> which it's really bad for.
>
> Join in! Is your AOL experience different from mine? Have you found
> ways around the upgrade hassles? What do you think the future will
> hold as AOL emerges as the biggest media company on the planet? The
> discussion is ongoing at
> http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/2000/02.htm
>
> See you there!
>
>
> ~~~~~~~
> From: "Fred Langa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: [langalist] 24-Jan-00 LangaList
>
>
> 3) 22 Million Members v. AOL: A Class Action Suit?
>
> My column on "AO Hell" struck a nerve: Now that AOL users are
> realizing how common it is for AOL5 to mess up systems, many are ready
> to light the torches and march on Steve Case's castle. Some members
> are so incensed at the bad behavior of AOL5 (and the way it messed up
> their systems) they're talking about filing a class action lawsuit to
> recover damages for their lost time and productivity!
>
> The story also has taken on a life of its own: In the last few days
> I've been contacted by news organizations ranging from CNN to
> Newsbytes, all following up on the original column--- which I guess
> has been cut-and- pasted and re-emailed an incredible amount!
>
> (Update: CNN went ahead and broadcast a news item using my column at
> http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/2000/02.htm as visual; and
> also mentions my WinMag column on their website at
> http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/01/21/aol.five.ap/index.html .
> The CNN folks have also contacted me about doing a follow-up, possibly
> on- camera. We'll try to work out the details this week. I wonder if
> they'd be doing all this if AOL hadn't just bought them? 8-) In any
> case, stay tuned!)
>
> And chime in! What are *your* feelings about AOL? Is your AOL
> experience different from mine? Have you found ways around the upgrade
> hassles? What do you think the future will hold as AOL emerges as the
> biggest media company on the planet? The discussion is ongoing at
> http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/2000/02.htm
>
> See you there!
>
>
>
> This newsletter is a free service of Langa Consulting and is
> Copyright © 2000 Fred Langa/Langa Consulting. All rights reserved.
>
>
> SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): Send email to
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
> .
>
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