David, here is my response to your specific questions, quoted below from your
note:
>Do you prefer it or did you not have a choice?
Answer: AOL was installed for the rest of the family, so to avoid the
expense of an additional Internet provider, we used it (for my wife).
>Can Internet Explorer and Outlook Express be used with AOL?
Answer: Yes. Internet Explorer simply runs as-is, as AOL makes the TCP/IP
connection it needs. Outlook Express needs to have parameters set to point
to the server where your mail is, etc.; but otherwise it works fine using the
TCP/IP link that AOL establishes.
>If they can does this create any other problems? What about people who are
networked and need to use Outlook?
Answer: You need the Outlook code on your own workstation (or be linked to a
network disk which has it), but the code is readily available. I'm not sure
I understand what you are looking for here.
>Are there special issues that arise when using AOL? Do the JFW Scripts for
AOL make it equivalent to other speech friendly Internet Providers?
Answer: Suzy Tritten, who is probably the most knowledgeable JFW AOL user,
has answered this question earlier; and, in general, many of the built-in
so-called "content provider" features of AOL are pretty inaccessible to blind
users, due to heavy use of graphics and unlabled and often inaccessible
buttons. However, mail and the buddy system are accessible, with some
practice, and, as pointed out earlier, the TCP/IP link is established for you
to use any other application while AOL is running.
So, the bottom line relative to recommending it to others is, "it depends"!
Most people looking for Internet services are looking for mail and a web
browser. AOL costs at least 2 dollars per month more than most other
providers, but it provides a lot of local content (shopping, finance, news,
etc.) that is easy to access -- IF you are not blind. So a blind user would
most likely not select AOL for him or herself; but if it is already available
and/or being used to support other users, by all means go ahead and take one
of the five userids it offers. You don't have to use the built-in mail
facility, either, as free web-based mail is readily available from Yahoo,
Netscape, and may others.
Fred Brack, Raleigh
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Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
