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pendragon · Sep 26, 2004, 04:59 PM

I am using AOL v10.3 (only for email) and am generally quite happy with it. But it is now becoming a bit old.

Does anyone know if a new version is in the works, and if so, what the status/beta testing or target release date may be?

drainyoo · Sep 26, 2004, 05:14 PM

if you are using it just for email then why not setup your Mail app to check your AOL account?

pendragon · Sep 26, 2004, 07:15 PM

"If you are using it just for email then why not setup your Mail app to check your AOL account?"

I thought about doing that, but I was just curious to know if AOL is still supporting Macs, or if they have forgotten them what first brought em to the dance.

drainyoo · Sep 26, 2004, 08:13 PM

Originally posted by pendragon:
"If you are using it just for email then why not setup your Mail app to check your AOL account?"

I thought about doing that, but I was just curious to know if AOL is still supporting Macs, or if they have forgotten them what first brought em to the dance.

I dont think AOL cares about the Mac platform.

Millennium · Sep 26, 2004, 09:34 PM

AOL seems to be in a state where they don't know what to do about the Mac. According to the ever-reliable rumor mill, projects for updated or even completely new clients have been started and then scuttled several times over the past few years.

For now, my recommendation is to use the Mac version of AOL Communicator. For the time being it's their latest major release, and it works quite well. It's not the client experience you're used to, but if you don't use the chat rooms or channels much I think you'll appreciate it.

jfinete · Sep 27, 2004, 07:07 PM

If you sign up for AOL's MacBeta program, you can find out about new features a few months before everyone else. Right now, it seems they're working on a version of the AOL client that works with AOL'S DSL service.

Montanan · Sep 27, 2004, 10:04 PM

Well, the only thing in AOL's Mac beta area right now is something called "AOL Connect," which is billed as a way for Mac users to connect to the AOL dial-up and broadband networks without using the client software. Users of AOL Connect would then use their own e-mail and web browser software, rather than those provided by AOL.

Partly because of this, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if AOL discontinued development of client software for the Mac, with the claim that something like AOL Connect is a valid substitute.

jfinete · Sep 28, 2004, 12:01 AM

Montanan, I think you may be right. I only skimmed the MacBeta email announcement, so I probably misunderstood what AOL Connect was.

pendragon · Sep 28, 2004, 05:07 AM

Montanan, Seems like well founded insight to me. Your views are most appreciated.

Many thanks!

Montanan · Sep 28, 2004, 12:16 PM

You know, thinking about it a bit more ... it seems likely that web browser issues were probably the final nail in the coffin for AOL's Mac client software. Now that AOL has essentially given up on the Netscape browser and committed itself to IE, it probably seems way too complicated and costly for them to update their client software on a platform that no longer has an actively-updated version of IE available.

Not that most of us will miss either IE or AOL too much ...

Forte · Sep 28, 2004, 12:54 PM

Well, the only thing in AOL's Mac beta area right now is something called "AOL Connect," which is billed as a way for Mac users to connect to the AOL dial-up and broadband networks without using the client software. Users of AOL Connect would then use their own e-mail and web browser software, rather than those provided by AOL.

I wonder if AOL UK will support this? They dropped all OS X support back in 2002 (subscribers to their broadband services can't even connect if they use a Macintosh)... >.>;;;