I hate AOL...it is crap. So read up on why AOL SUCKS!

1) AOL Users are Morons:

The average AOL user has the intelligence of a potato. We know this because if they were any smarter they would call AOL, say "Fuck off!" and get a good ISP. When we dare venture into an AOL chat, our theory is confirmed and we leave a little bit dumber.


2) AOL is Censored:

The greatest thing about the internet is free speach and anarchy. AOL stole those benefits from 30 million people. There is a frighteningly long list of banned words, we've seen it with our own eyes. And it's ridiculious: it included stuff like "f-ck, "f---," and "----" [well, that's an exaggeration] so you can't even have fun games of "fill in the blanks." And AOL's censorship doesn't just include what's done on their servers. We've read the terms of service and found out that what we do on this site can get us kicked off AOL 100 times over. So please, if anybody from AOL is reading this please delete the accounts "firrestorm" and "anthrax474."

AOL has reportedly also blocked certain sites from users becasue they were "injurious" to AOL. The same thing has happened with emal: if AOL doesn't want you to get mail from a certain sender, they can block thier network from it.


3) Too Many Users:

Have you ever gotten 150 consecutive busy signals while trying to sign onto the internet? We have! It's one of the great "features" of AOL. There are simply more users than AOL's servers can handle. Very few people with 56K modems actually connect at that speed, half that if average. It's absolutely terrible for multiplayer games. Even worse: connections are constantly lost for no reason other than that the server is too busy. Getting booted off after trying to sign on for an hour is the kind of thing that makes us want to own guns....well, more guns....ok, fine, more ammo....


4) It's Expensive:

AOL isn't cheap: It's $24 a month. Most ISP's are less than $20 per month, and they offer better connections. Even with the huge cost, they still have the nerve to bombard us with advertising. Upon signing on, about 3 advertisements pop up. Don't they realize people just click "No Thanks" before even reading them?


5) Some Users Are Out of Control:

Thousands of third-party programs designed to modify AOL are in circulation. Their functions include mass mailing, modifying fonts, scrolling, and disconnecting fellow AOLers. Most people agree they're fun for a week, but some assholes collect hundreds of these programs and spend their free time scrolling in chat rooms and disconnecting each other. And then there's the junk and porn mail: We know you're reading this! For the last time: We're not gay! Stop sending us those pictures!


6) The Software Sucks:

Aren't programs supposed to become more refined and efficient as time goes on and technology develops? AOL's designers must think otherwise. AOL 5.0 just came out, and I was foolish enough to install it on my Pentium 200MHz. My initial reaction to it upon first usage was, "I must have accidently launched the older version." But then I realized that AOL 5.0 was 4.0 but slower. The only new feature was something called "You've Got Pictures" which I see no pratical use for. I installed 4.0 on my new computer and I strongly discourage anybody from using 5.0.

Another problem with the AOL software: The browser sucks. The window is too small and our site looks like shit while using it. Also, the "back" and "forward" buttons, extremely important for navigating, rarely function correctly. But the worst part of all: for images are compressed for your viewing pleasure. That means certain file types (JPG's) look blurry on AOL's browser just so you don't have to wait an extra two seconds for it to load in its orginal form.

AOL is known for its wonderful "instant messages" and chat capabilities. But compared to every other chat program we've ever used AOL is far inferior. There are so many things wrong with it we don't know where to begin. We'll start with the fact that you can't turn off your instant messages easily. It is impossible to have peace and quiet unless you send an instant message to some obscure name [$im_off]. Few people know of this trick, and we have no idea why it even exists. Why the fuck isn't there just a simple option to turn them off! Don't they realize that sometimes people go play a game or leave their computer and don't want friends to message them and think they're being ignored? Especially since it's so hard to get connected to AOL; people don't sign on and off constantly! Some chat programs even have an away message that gets sent to people if they message you when you haven't moved the mouse or used the keyboard for a while. Other chat programs tell people your status, whether it be available, away, or whatever else you want to say. I'm sure AOL has some gigantic, well-paid research and development team. A bunch of slackers we say!

Yet another flaw with the AOL software: The newest version, 5.0, disables dial-up networking in Windows, making it impossible to use any other internet service if you have AOL's software installed. Hmm...maybe it's not a mistake...


7) It's Over-Commercialized:

Aol.com is probably the only major domain name with pop-up advertisements. But it doesn't make any sense for them to advertise because the only people who go to aol.com are AOL users checking their mail - and they already own the product. Another problem: even though AOL costs more than the average service provider, they bombard you with advertisements every time you sign on. [Usually a couple pop-ups upon sign-on.] This is annoying and unacceptable.