RSSAOL Woos Subscribers with Communicator Preview
By Nate Mook | Published March 7, 2003, 9:33 AM
After over two years of development, AOL has made available a preview release of its new standalone e-mail client dubbed AOL Communicator. Communicator is one of many applications and services AOL plans to offer members in an effort to reinvigorate diminishing subscriber growth.
As first reported by BetaNews, a beta version of Communicator -- code-named Photon -- first cropped up last November. At the time, AOL was unsure how it would market the product and whether it would compete with the company's fledgling Netscape browser suite. But recent financial troubles and management shakeups have forced AOL to focus on improving its core subscriber business.
Closely following the launch of MusicNet on AOL, Communicator becomes another subscriber-only service designed to promote AOL membership. Communicator is only available for download using the AOL client and requires an unlimited AOL account in order to fully utilize its features.
Tailored for heavy users of e-mail and instant messaging, the Communicator package includes a standalone e-mail client featuring integrated address book and an ad-free version of AIM. Communicator Mail supports retrieving messages from any ISP, but only after entering an AOL account. Message filtering is included, along with automatic spam filtering that learns over time.
Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator supports both AIM and ICQ accounts, but messaging across networks is not possible. As reported by BetaNews last October, AOL was previously testing interoperability between its two IM networks.
In order to build Communicator, AOL took advantage of the Gecko platform developed for Mozilla. Communicator uses the Gecko engine and sports an XUL user interface, although it was developed in-house according to AOL and its source code will not be released.
AOL has posted a Flash demonstration of Communicator and a PDF help file outlining the product's features. The download is only available via AOL keyword: AOL Communicator Preview Release.
In addition to Communicator, AOL is actively working on a new version of AOL Media Player that will function independent of the AOL client software. AMP may serve to replace RealNetworks' RealPlayer, which is transparently installed with the AOL client.
AOL was initially looking into building the next version of AMP using Wasabi, the framework designed by the company's Nullsoft group for Winamp3. But sources say AOL has decided to write AMP from the ground up, showcasing the fragmented nature of the company. As with the current embedded client however, AMP will still likely take advantage of Winamp technology.
Communicator and AOL Media Player are just the first steps at offering added incentives for AOL subscribers. Sources tell BetaNews that AOL has a handful of projects in the works, although many may never see the light of day.
ok has anybody here ever owned a company that was on top? do i see any hand probably not! that is why when you are at the top everybody takes shots at you look at m$ you all take pot shots at them! It is like when people get to be rich famous movie stars all these people sue them for something they didn't earn. Yes i am an aol user. Do i like aol? no. Why do i have aol? cause i don't pay for it. Why did i write this? i don't know so maybe some pathetic person would read it tell me i am wrong and call me just another brain dead aoler. Come on can i hear that line. It is pathetic and you know it is. I want you to start a multi national company make millions of dollars then i want you to get the same treatment they do when a couple of people think it is junky software. After that i want you to show me how come you get to tell people who have never tried the service that it is junk and they should not use it hey, can 26.8 million people all be as dumb as you. Nope didn't think so they gave aol an actuall chance. And when it comes to aolbeing good software or not, i can solve your problem open aol dial and enter username and password then minimize aol and use ie there problem solved switch to aol8.0 today. And hey there is one good point about aol. At least i can get it where i am at i can't get dsl or cable and they are expensive anyway. And aol has always treated me good. And in 8.0 no more 45 minute timer warning and loging you out and has a new handy redial tool
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|par·a·graph
n.
A distinct division of written or printed matter that begins on a new, usually indented line, consists of one or more sentences, and typically deals with a single thought or topic or quotes one speaker's continuous words.
Damn brain dead AOLers :P
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|I think we need to get a group together and take a "tour" of aol, when we get to some steps, we piss and crap all over the place. Thats how much we enjoy thier existence: }
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|http://free.aol.com/tryaolfree/
AOL is better than ever!
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|there is no hope for you
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|Oviously!
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|Anyone who uses the AOL Communicator client to fetch POP3 mail has a teeney problem. It doesn't delete mail from independent POP account servers.
So....what is the REAL reason you are allowed to get POP3?
So that AOL can allow you to rat out spam on any accounts you configure, and it goes in AOL databases, making their job easier.
I hate spam as much as anyone, but this is a transparant tactic on AOL's part to get the heavy lifting done by users and other ISP's to kill junk mail free.
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|This is exactly like Mozilla mail, only it has a different skin and an AOL icon. Not only that, almost all of the features it they brag about in that ad are included in every e-mail client I've ever seen. And Mozilla Mail includes the learning spam filter and such.
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|NO DUH! AOL OWNS NETSCAPE!
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|Yes, I realized that. I guess I was just expecting a little more than simply a new skin.
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|actually, it is an entirely different program. the mozilla/netscape mail interface is written in XUL, aol communicator has a native windows interface.
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|Why not just let people get there AOL mail with Outlook or Outlook express or Mozilla Mail?
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|There is nothing better than people with dsl and aol. lol..paying twice for internet and using the worst software there is.
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|Back in the dark ages of computing, this thing called AOL appeared. It used a GEOS OS GUI in color no less! To those of us using Procomm Plus and an local university users account , it was practically magic! Unfortunately, with modems running at about 1200 baud , and at 5.00+ an hour, it was a pretty expensive proposition.
But it was really nifty, and I went on to become a beta tester.
Then came AOL v4.0
My system crashed. A lot of systems crashed. Loss of data was massive. A new phrase called "Class Action Lawsuit" was introduced into the AOL lexicon.
That was the day AOL died. Since then, it's been a corpse too stupid to lie down.
And you lunatics want a Netscape browser and a backroom media player??? I weep for your system administrators.
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|Quantum Link was even before that, I was using it circa 1984 when I was 6. I remember uploading a pirated copy of "Mail Order Monsters", not knowing there was anything wrong with that.
There was a class-action lawsuit with version 5 also. And 6. You'd think people would take notice of this and stop using it, but I guess not. The way the AOL client uses and detects your modem/network connection has always been horrid.
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|AOL is supposed to be top notch and supposedly number one in the online industry so it says and has you to think. So why does everyone hate and despise them so much? I'll tell you why, it's because of their many flaws in their system and programs and because it tries to take over everything else on your computer once installed. The one and only reason why AOL is used by so many people is because of it's so user friendly. So with them constantly raises prices for internet service are they actually providing you with more or better service, NO I don't think so. AOL is nothing but an expensive monopoly industry that strides to prove it's #1 when it's not.
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|that is NOT the reason its so popular. Its popular because there are many new computer users. You buy a computer from dell or whatever and aol is there. You hear aol commercials constantly on tv and everone knows someone that uses aol, so you do the stupid thing and register w/ aol. Then time passes and these people grow and depend on it and are afraid of change because of their email address and buddy list. A business person should not say my email is blablah@aol.com. That just decredits you. heh
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|Not to mention that when buying PCs from makers such as Gateway they give (or gave) you several months free of AOL which pretty much locks a lot of people in with their aol.com email address and the pleasant (at least to Internet newbies) AOL software. I know when I go to visit my father who's been using AOL for several years yet still hasn't disabled the popup adverts that fill the screen after login. It would be hard getting such people to change to another provider that doesn't have such a portal type software like AOLs.
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|exactly...
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|Everything AOL offers is free except for the ability to go on line…
So... why does it cost so much?
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|As a user and member of the Mozilla Organization, I'm happy to see America Online use the proper resources. I use the email client for my pop3 account from Lycos all the time ,it's fast and very efficient. Now if only we can convince the online content provider to drop IE and make Gecko it's primary engine. Then perhaps, I may consider going back.
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|Even the proper resources aren't helping this so called internet giant that strides itself to be #1. Yeah IE has it's problems but it alot more stable and secure than it's Gecko predecessor. The AOL Gecko browser will never compete or even come close to matching IE. Only when you use Gecko browser alone such as with Netscape navigator/communcator does it work well. You mix it with AOL's resources it doesn't work well together. They may act like they are one together but it sure doesn't look like it.
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|IE Stable ? IE Secure ? bwahahahaha !!!
So Gecko would be the "predecessor" of IE ? Man, *that* is computing revisionism !!!
I've just tried the Beta and it runs smoothly
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|All browsers are unstable and insecure.
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|Sure, especially when :
1/ you make it part of the OS
and 2/ you include technologies like ActiveX, VBScript and Jscript (not to be counfounded with javascript) to allow the browser to access this OS.
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|I am using IE and it is smooth and stable.
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|QUOTE
"IE has it's problems but it alot more stable
and secure than it's Gecko predecessor."
UNQUOTE
JMiskin1, WTF have you been smoking?!?!?
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