RSSAOL 'Tahiti' Dials Up Without Client
By David Worthington | Published November 3, 2003, 6:55 AM
As previously reported by BetaNews, America Online is a beehive of activity these days, busy developing an upgrade to AOL 9.0 code-named "Tahiti."
BetaNews has learned that on top of the existing feature set, Tahiti will dramatically change the dial-up experience for users by removing the need to connect using AOL's embedded dialer.
Instead, a separate dialup application will connect narrowband subscribers to the Internet, without having to load the entire AOL client. Testers report that the feature works, but is extremely bug-ridden in its current state.
When asked for comment, AOL spokesperson Anne Bentley told BetaNews the dialer is as "simple as added convenience for dial-up members who can now establish and maintain a connection to the Internet via other browsers and other applications such as the AIM service, even if they are not signed onto the AOL service."
"AOL could be separating the dialer from the online client for a number of reasons," Joe Wilcox, senior analyst at Jupiter Research, told BetaNews. "One possibility: Easing the increasing stratification of broadband and dial-up services, as part of putting more emphasis on broadband."
AOL and rival MSN are each heavily pushing broadband services, recently moving to allow users to bring their own broadband access.
The release of AOL 9 Optimized constituted AOL's first noteworthy attempt to court high-speed subscribers through incentives ranging from on-demand exclusive programming to enhanced security provided by McAfee.
Tahiti has undergone three separate beta releases thus far, culminating in the most recent build, 4156.130. AOL has confirmed that features such as animated smileys, PDF file recognition, a print icon on titlebars, the ability to arrange icons on the toolbar carousel, and the ability to import Internet Explorer favorites are set to be packed into the client.
Upcoming Tahiti builds are slated to feature live video over instant messaging, as well as expanded SuperBuddy icons, and tabbed instant message windows.
Microsoft is also preparing a beta update to its next MSN Plus client, set to debut later this year.
Both AOL and Microsoft have gone tit-for-tat in efforts to push fast, feature laden upgrade cycles out the door in order to siphon off subscribers from each other.
Nate Mook contributed to this report.
I can't remember when I last used AOL... must have been back in the 1993-1995 period.. This "upgrade" in their latest beta may be a step in the right direction, but its long overdue. For all the people who actually could have used such a feature back in the day where POTS ruled, that would have been considerd a wonderful upgrade. Sadly, today, its just a long long overdue feature that AOL withheld from their customers.
Don't mistake this as some flame message about how I hate AOL... its just pointing out that AOL has presented so many new "features" without looking back at the basics... (Somewhat like bloated ICQ).
Maybe some people would just like to get online without all the "features" of the AOL Client. Maybe they just don't realize what else there is out there to choose from... So now people sit and wait for AOL to get their groove on with an upgrade they should have added years ago.
Yippee for AOL, they've got a clue!
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|I love the new things that 9.0 can do with AOL and I must say this is the first time that I haven' gotten to use a new upgrade of AOLs. When I get IM'd or try to IM I get a few moments lag (all I need to die in game). I've called AOL about it and they are working on it... So does this mean this is going to be fixed in your new project, I hope becuase it sucks being behind when you guys are going ahead when the old software isn't quite right.
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|Even though I hate AOL, this is a good move on their behalf. I can't remember, but I think I, too, was able to connect through regular dial-up networking when I had AOL. Then again, I may be wrong.
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|No matter how much shoe shine you use on a TURD... "it's still a TURD"!
AOL=TURD
>:-))
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|and a troll is still a troll.
the question is. Do you actually have something to contribute?
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|No one forces anybody to use AOL. If people didn't like it for some reason or other, they wouldn't use it.
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|How i laugh whats even more of a turd is that if you setup a manual connection ie screen name password and tell ie what to dial it connects to aol without there ever been any Aol software present. Doh perhaps aol will give me a job. Plus Aol is Popular because 99 percent of phone network's support them they advertise heavily so its only logical that they would be number one. Unlike us its not "uncool" to have Aol.
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|LOL. I am far from AOL's biggest fan but to those of you stupid enough to say their product sucks, I would welcome you to make something better with as many customers.
It's fun to complain about what's popular, but the fact is, they've been unparalleled for a decade.
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|Care to offer any proof of this? I've always understood that they used some kind of proprietary protocol, not PPP, which required their software.
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