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AOL debuts new desktop software for Windows

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

December 10, 2007, 2:55 PM

After its OpenRide software was not well received, the ISP went back to the drawing board. The result was AOL Desktop, which released Friday.

"Helix," as it was called in beta, follows the general gist of OpenRide, but also continues a path the company has been following for the past several years, including its Communicator, Fanfare, and AOL Suite projects.

AOL never called Helix the successor to OpenRide, but said that many of the changes in the application came out of what the ISP learned from its previous incarnation.

With the official release of AOL Desktop, it could signal all but the end of the company's much ballyhooed "walled garden" approach. All of the features of Desktop could be similarly accessed outside of the software.

It is not clear how the company's older service software now fits into the mix. It isn't even completely clear whether the company will push the users of that software to migrate to the Desktop platform: it has recently restarted development there.

The ISP says the key features which should attract users to the new software include tabbed browsing without having to sign in to the AOL service itself; management of multiple e-mail accounts including non-AOL addresses; built in AIM and Mapquest; and AppMap, a new method for allowing quick access to all open Windows.

"This is our newest all-in-one downloadable software combining mail, messaging and content in one easy-to-use application," an AOL spokesperson told BetaNews. "It has a sleek, modern design, and offers the most efficient desktop experience yet."

It indeed does offer a much faster online experience than its predecessor, AOL 9. However, it remains to be seen where Desktop fits in to AOL's overall service equation.

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By bmw4812000

edited Feb 4, 2008 - 6:06 PM

This aol Desktop is terible. It hides the chatrooms. And it's a totally different interface. Why did they do this? I am a computer tech a lot of my clients are seniors they don't grasp it either.

who ever was the Genius that thought of this should have his or her head examined Have you ever head if it ain't broke don't fix it. what is wrong with you.

Score: 0

By TomA102210

posted Dec 12, 2007 - 10:00 AM

amb277 said:

"I have never posted on here only read the comments. I'm not computer wiz at all. I have used AOL software for many years. I'm still on dial-up because of my location. I'm not able to get DSL. Anyway I have never understood what made people hate AOL like they do. I am currently using AOL 9 and have never encountered a problem with it. I had no idea AOL was not liked by so many."
----------------------------------------------
Most of the individuals who post negatively regarding any software reported here have never tried it. They simply like to bash. Some refer to them as trolls. Maybe they are. What's funny is that many will bash AOL or another program and refer to those who bash as trolls but resent being refered to as a troll for bashing AOL. I say bash away because it calls attention to the program they are bashing and it's free advertising.

Score: 0

By notAHater

edited Dec 11, 2007 - 7:29 PM

I believe that AOL was highly succesful in its origins because it gave a portal for computer-not-savvy people access to material that wasn't around before them. The thing is that they are trying to fight the browser fight face to face to seasoned and proven browsers that are far from going away with similar or unneeded features.
They also lack fresh ideas. If I was them, instead of making copycats of firefox in their browser and yahoo on their portal, I would be making heavy investments in their fellow-time-warner content providers to begin distribution of publicity-backed content. Hey, they have CNN, DC Comics and Sports Illustrated on their side. They've had them all along.

I mean for christ sakes, they're an Internet Technology provider! And they an't even make a simple Ajax and Flash feature-and-interactivity-packed software that access for content of complanies that they already have on their side!!!

Well, that's only in my humble opinion.

Score: 0

By marahmarie

edited Dec 11, 2007 - 6:14 PM

Has anyone reading this tried this browser? I test-drove it when it was the next to last beta of Helix and it chewed through RAM in a way that would make Firefox's so-called "memory leak" just beam with pride. It never ran under 80 MBs once it "warmed up" if I recall correctly. I missed Firefox so much the afternoon I used it (and I forced myself to use it for hours that day, just to give it a fair shake) it about made me cry. Like other off-the-wall AOL offerings it had some weird "geeky" features, like "I need eyeglasses" "View this page backwards", "View this page upside-down" etc. The only browser feature I liked was integrated IP lookup; AOL's Desktop s the only browser I've seen do that, and I've test-run many different browsers (probably 20) in the last few years.

Hated: the memory usage, the lack of customizations and add-ons, the few skins it had, and the claustrophobic feeling I had the entire time like I was "trapped" inside of it somehow. The integrated email feature did not work at all with Earthlink, Yahoo, or PeoplePC; overall it was a "run don't walk" back to Firefox kind of experience for me.

If I ran AOL and wanted a competitive browser for IE7 and Firefox I would just push the Netscape browser onto the masses that much harder (rebrand it as an AOL product if you have to, that's really not a big deal) and drop code development for the other experimental browsers altogether. THAT would finally get the AOL crowd using the best browser on Earth (the code and engine is probably identical, and Netscape is no longer full of pop-ups or other privacy invasions, either; or at least nothing that can't be easily disabled). Cost to push the Netscape browser to the masses? *Nothing.* AOL already owns the code and pays the devs to do whatever they do with it, and pushing it *instead* of pushing the AOL browsers would not cost AOL an extra dime. Should I run AOL or what?

Score: 0

By WhenenRome

posted Dec 30, 2007 - 8:55 PM

MarahMarie, you should always openly identify yourself as the operator of the so-called AOL Sucks website (which, by total coincidence, am ware that you operate) whenever you post regarding AOL. It is doubtful that you could ever have any objectivity over any product with an AOL label on it.

Score: 0

By marahmarie

posted Feb 11, 2008 - 8:48 PM

Oh, for God's sake. I do NOT run the AOL Sucks website. I do run *one* anti-AOL website (just not the one you mentioned) and owing to that I have a lot more objectivity than losers like you who suck on AOL's ass.

Score: 0

By amb277

edited Dec 11, 2007 - 1:57 PM

I have never posted on here only read the comments. I'm not computer wiz at all. I have used AOL software for many years. I'm still on dial-up because of my location. I'm not able to get DSL. Anyway I have never understood what made people hate AOL like they do. I am currently using AOL 9 and have never encountered a problem with it. I had no idea AOL was not liked by so many.

Score: 0

By prndll

posted Dec 11, 2007 - 8:13 AM

AOL has proven itself unworthy time and time again. It just needs to go away.

Score: 0

By darkzero63

edited Dec 10, 2007 - 7:46 PM

Actually Helix (Or AOL Desktop) is not as bad as I once thought...

Score: 0

By Zagadka

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 6:46 PM

Ugh, I really don't get how ISPs in general list things like popup blocking and such as if they were unique features. Firefox, Opera, and even IE all already have that built in, and there are plenty of great freeware firewalls and anti-virus programs...

Score: 0

By crashoverride

edited Dec 10, 2007 - 6:33 PM

The only good thing about this is the web browser. The web browser is one of the more decent IE shells I have seen. The email function is useless since email can be accessed from the browser. The built in AIM is outdated as usual.

Score: 0

By Hellcat_M

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 5:24 PM

I agree, they should just give up the web interface. You can go to AOL.com and use their mail, you can download AIM and use that. They should just make it easy for you to login to all your AOL email accounts on AOL.com with a pull down menu with your accounts listed and leave it at that. Its a decent portal and can equal Yahoo if they give up the software desktop interface and just better their website and make things easier to get to on there, view email, check news, go into chat rooms and such, add favorites to your site like Yahoo lets you do and better their search or go in with Google or something. They keep trying and trying with the software and this one is going to fail too. How many times are they going to try until they give up?

Score: 0

By dhjdhj

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 4:55 PM

AOL is still around, huh?

Score: 0

By WeezulDK

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 4:15 PM

People still join the Army of Luzers?

Score: 0

By THZGryphon

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 4:09 PM

Some people should get over using a companies reputation to pre-judge their products.

Score: 0

By NULLedge

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 4:28 PM

a company with a bad reputation reverting to the designs of its software that earned it such a bad rap? if they're not changing why should anyone care?

innovate or die.

Score: 0

By Neoprimal

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 5:00 PM

I don't remember AOL's software causing their bad rep. I remember their disgusting customer service and ridiculous pricing after a while causing their bad rep.
1. Calling to cancel and having their customer service FIGHT you through the phone to stay.
2. Cancelling your service only to later on realize that the cs didn't actually cancel your service.
3. All kinds of hellish billing disasters.

I was never fond of AOL with their $24 dialup and shady dsl stuff later on, but when they started offering $10 byoa I was on it like Bush on oil. I've always used AOL for the software, I like their approach...buttons for stuff galore, keywords for specific sites and features, chatrooms for everything, radio stations right there, video clips/trailers/news etc. It's really not a bad service. AOL 9.1 which is what I use now as my main incarnation of AOL allows you to surf and do what you're doing (as if you were using IE/FF) without signing in, then if you want the radio, video, chatrooms etc. you sign in. It's win/win. If it's better than 9.1 then I'm all for trying it.

Score: 0

By marahmarie

posted Dec 11, 2007 - 6:28 PM

Their software generally sucks, too; take everyone's word for it. If you don't have a problem with how AOL behaves on your PC, you are rare. Just wait until you try to uninstall it; older versions don't exactly remove cleanly (some don't like being removed at all and will fight you on it tooth and nail). Newer versions uninstall cleanly, but lose their Internet connectivity constantly especially on Vista, and offer no big-deal improvements over 9.0 whatsoever.

Score: 0

By timatl

posted Dec 11, 2007 - 8:13 AM

neoprimal, of which of these service you can't get on yahoo or any other website for free?

Score: 0

By NULLedge

posted Dec 11, 2007 - 6:54 PM

no, it was the software that they packed with "updates" which translated to "ad bundles" along with mail that would magically disappear from your inbox when it got too old for aol to remember it was actually there with no way to export it to save it or transfer it to an outside service trapping members with email addresses and forcing them to pay just to keep the email address.

nah, the software sucked. lets not forget that it too was fatally stupid.

Score: 0

By slinkys_delsol

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 3:11 PM

Why does AOL provide a Desktop interface anymore? All they are to most of us that use them in any way is an IM Client or a Free email address.

The use of a Desktop interface is all but extinct!

AO(HEL)L, LET IT GO!!!

Score: 0

By DZNetworks

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 11:35 PM

Even MSN has dropped its explorer software and now just has the MSN portal...

Score: 0

By NULLedge

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 4:25 PM

welcome, people from 1995. may i borrow your time machine?

Score: 0

By ir0nw0lf

posted Dec 10, 2007 - 3:10 PM

It's still AOL related. +1 for the use of the word ballyhoo lol.

Score: 0

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