[Ti] AOL only does HTML

[PaulaTx1 at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/9/2003 11:08:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time, robert at ameeti.net writes:

>  AOL on the other hand, is most often bashed by users who were using
> AOL at one time in the past, and through their frustration at the difficulty
> that AOL intentionally designs into their product, became 
> bashers of the
> AOL technology.
>
  Most of the bashing I see is by users who didn't bother to find out how to do something. I have even seen bashing by people who have never signed on to AOL  but just liked to bash.  Some people will bash and post things that aren't true  simply because they were too lazy to find out how to do something.  This is like "You don't want a Mac.  There is no software for a Mac."  
    Do you really think AOL intentionally designs difficulty in their software to frustrate customers?  Really?    Is it more likely that they try to maintain proprietary software for any other reason?  Security?   I actually have no idea why they do what they do.  But I'm pretty sure  no one walks into a meeting and says  okay lets make the interface more difficult for everybody today.
       <<I was an original AOL Charter Member when it first started 10 - 15 years ago. The promise to me was ~$6 @ month for unlimited use as a lifetime member. I had my AOL account up until about 6 months ago. As such, I've had a bit of experience with it.>>  
      What AOL offered back in 1988  was worth about $6 a month.  What they offer now is worth more.  You must have agreed  or you would left long before 2003.  
     << AOL intentionally designs in several items to prevent users from using other technologies or programs. An AOL user can not export their Address Book. They can not use their Address Book with any other program. They can not Forward their AOL mail to any other email address. They can not use any other e-mail program to retrieve, sort, store, or read their AOL mail. All of this is purposefully designed in to the AOL product to retain the customers. This is not nice.>>
       I'm not even sure what you are implying in that last paragraph.  A company shouldn't  try to retain it's customers?   Why?  Isn't that the purpose of business?  Keep customers.  Stay in business.    
     AOL offers interface, software, access, and 24 hour support.  If  you want to bring your own access, they even lower the rate.  They aren't hotmail.com.   Don't expect them to be like hotmail.com.
                             Paula Rutledge