[angelmb]

Here goes another one… and counting. Xdrive. This was the AOL service I most relied on besides e-mail but that's a given… and like what happened to AOL Pictures, certain FTP services and what not is being nuked. I wonder why AOL bothered by giving us an Adobe AIR based Xdrive Mac desktop client. So, what's left… AOL Radio and the e-mail service?. Just great.

Dear Xdrive user,

We are writing to inform you that after Jan. 12, 2009, AOL will no longer support the Xdrive online storage service and the site will permanently close. It is important that you make plans to download your files to your local computer or hard drive.

We know this transition may be inconvenient, but it is important that you take steps to retrieve your files by Jan. 12. Once you have done so, you may want to consider registering for and saving them with another online storage provider. If you no longer need the files stored on your Xdrive archive, you do not need to take any action, but please keep in mind that all files will be permanently deleted after Jan. 12, 2009.

To make this transition easier for you, we are offering a new, simplified download option that will allow you to create and download a single file containing everything in your Xdrive account, which you could then upload to a new storage solution of your choice.

You can also download any files or folders through the standard Xdrive applications, either at www.xdrive.com or by using the Xdrive Desktop software, until Jan. 12, 2009. Based on your needs, you may wish to select multiple options for retrieving and archiving your files.

It is important that you take action no later than Jan. 12, 2009. After this date, the Xdrive service will be closed and any remaining files will be permanently deleted.

Please go to the Xdrive site at www.xdrive.com to begin making plans for retrieving your files. On the Xdrive site, you will find more information and step-by-step instructions for downloading, as well as answers to questions about downloading and archiving your files.

It is never an easy decision to shut down a feature, especially one like Xdrive that some of our members have used for a long time. But we have to look carefully at all of the products supported by AOL to ensure we’re providing as much value to our customers as possible.

Thank you for having been an Xdrive user.

Sincerely,

The Xdrive Team

[RAILhead]

It's 2008. Time to get over AOL.

[Brien]

No idea how they're still in business.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by Brien 

No idea how they're still in business.

Evidently they aren't sure either.

AOL was good for what it was good for -- easy email and Web services that were consistent from one install to the next (and, for the most part, across platform).

So.... when you're slamming AOL and wondering why they're still around -- be sure to pause and THANK THEM for creating enough buzz and scale economies to justify the Web we have now. Without AOL, things would be fundamentally different altogether.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

It's 1998. Time to get over AOL.

Fixed™.

[Love Calm Quiet]

I miss AOL (from 1998, yes).

They taught me the value of prayer and meditation.

Only with major centering practice (and, no doubt divine intervention) was I able to survive my "relationship" with AOL support. AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH !!!

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by finboy 

So.... when you're slamming AOL and wondering why they're still around -- be sure to pause and THANK THEM for creating enough buzz and scale economies to justify the Web we have now. Without AOL, things would be fundamentally different altogether.

I don't think AOL had much to do with the Internet or the web at all. If AOL had won out, we would likely still be in dial-up sandbox hell. The web killed AOL, thankfully. AOL may have made online service accessible to the masses and created demand for Internet service, but I'm pretty sure we'd still have the modern web had AOL never existed.

[- - e r i k - -]

AOL tried to build a service outside the internet, I don't see how that was improving the internet in any way.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

AOL tried to build a service outside the internet, I don't see how that was improving the internet in any way.

Initially, that's true. But AOL built a user base that (in part) migrated to the Internet, and created a level of awareness among ordinary folks that was unprecedented. Yes, we techheads out there (mainly on campus) were using the Web before AOL, but it was this kind of service that opened it up to everyone. Without those kinds of numbers, we wouldn't have the retail or service presence today. Compuserve and Prodigy played a part too, with their respective user bases and advertising dollars. Those "coasters" that folks used to complain about getting in the mail put the Web and email in the face of new users.

Now they're imploding. It's a shame, because there's still a place for the one-stop-shop online. They just don't know how to keep it profitable. Too much baggage, too, probably.