• Re: AOL ends dial-up

    From kludge@kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Wed Aug 13 01:30:39 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    Jay Morris <morrisj@epsilon3.me> wrote:
    AOL has announced that they will turn off their last dial-up modems at
    the end of September. They are down to a few thousand dial-up users out
    of 2 million plus.

    Far too late for it to do the world any good.

    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left. Just like Belgium
    in the Congo.
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Tim Merrigan@tppm@rr.ca.com to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Wed Aug 13 00:05:08 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    On 8/12/2025 10:30 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Jay Morris <morrisj@epsilon3.me> wrote:
    AOL has announced that they will turn off their last dial-up modems at
    the end of September. They are down to a few thousand dial-up users out
    of 2 million plus.

    Far too late for it to do the world any good.

    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left. Just like Belgium
    in the Congo.
    --scott

    I think they still exist, it's just that one will have to use broadband
    to contact them.
    --

    Qualified immunity = virtual impunity.

    Tim Merrigan

    --
    This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
    www.avg.com
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Jay Morris@morrisj@epsilon3.me to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Wed Aug 13 08:32:43 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    On 8/13/2025 12:30 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Jay Morris <morrisj@epsilon3.me> wrote:
    AOL has announced that they will turn off their last dial-up modems at
    the end of September. They are down to a few thousand dial-up users out
    of 2 million plus.

    Far too late for it to do the world any good.

    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left. Just like Belgium
    in the Congo.
    --scott

    I do think the timing is appropriate.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Gary McGath@garym@mcgath.com to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Wed Aug 13 11:02:58 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    On 8/13/25 1:30 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Jay Morris <morrisj@epsilon3.me> wrote:
    AOL has announced that they will turn off their last dial-up modems at
    the end of September. They are down to a few thousand dial-up users out
    of 2 million plus.

    Far too late for it to do the world any good.

    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left. Just like Belgium
    in the Congo.

    Dial-up modems ruined the Internet?
    --
    Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Keith F. Lynch@kfl@KeithLynch.net to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Wed Aug 13 15:43:54 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    Gary McGath <garym@mcgath.com> wrote:
    Scott Dorsey wrote:
    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left. Just like
    Belgium in the Congo.

    Dial-up modems ruined the Internet?

    No, but arguably AOL did, by bringing in a large number of new people
    who violated established netiquette.

    It was a lot like what Trump fears is happening to the US, with large
    numbers of new people unwilling or unable to assimilate.
    --
    Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
    Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html before emailing me.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@admin@127.0.0.1 to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Wed Aug 13 16:48:36 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    On Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:43:54 -0000 (UTC)
    "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl@KeithLynch.net> wrote:

    Gary McGath <garym@mcgath.com> wrote:
    Scott Dorsey wrote:
    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left. Just like
    Belgium in the Congo.

    Dial-up modems ruined the Internet?

    No, but arguably AOL did, by bringing in a large number of new people
    who violated established netiquette.


    AOL


    It was a lot like what Trump fears is happening to the US, with large
    numbers of new people unwilling or unable to assimilate.

    'Bring me your poor' ah, the land of the free.

    (the same anti-immigration agenda is big here in the UK)
    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Gary McGath@garym@mcgath.com to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Wed Aug 13 19:21:35 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    On 8/13/25 11:43 AM, Keith F. Lynch wrote:
    Gary McGath <garym@mcgath.com> wrote:
    Scott Dorsey wrote:
    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left. Just like
    Belgium in the Congo.

    Dial-up modems ruined the Internet?

    No, but arguably AOL did, by bringing in a large number of new people
    who violated established netiquette.

    But AOL isn't leaving.

    I'm reminded of a song I wrote about 30 years ago about Usenet trolls:

    And then I had a vision of the vengeance God has set
    For those who think their posts should go on all groups in the Net:
    He wouldn't wish them even on the Devil down in Hell;
    But they shall spend eternity logged on to AOL!
    --
    Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lynn McGuire@lynnmcguire5@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Fri Aug 15 21:38:18 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    On 8/11/2025 8:15 PM, Keith F. Lynch wrote:
    Evelyn C. Leeper <evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com> wrote:
    Reminds me of when it became impossible to get new rolls of
    heat-sensitive paper for dial-up terminals from the stockroom
    at work.

    Ironically, that kind of paper is probably more common than ever
    before. But it's only used for receipts. And in that form is
    much too narrow to fit into a TI Silent 700 terminal.

    Wow, that brings up old memories. I Loved the TI Silent 700.

    Lynn

    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to rec.arts.sf.fandom on Sat Aug 16 20:55:51 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.fandom

    On 8/13/2025 11:02 AM, Gary McGath wrote:
    On 8/13/25 1:30 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Jay Morris-a <morrisj@epsilon3.me> wrote:
    AOL has announced that they will turn off their last dial-up modems at
    the end of September. They are down to a few thousand dial-up users out
    of 2 million plus.

    Far too late for it to do the world any good.

    They came in, ruined the internet, and then left.-a Just like Belgium
    in the Congo.

    Dial-up modems ruined the Internet?


    There's a reason behind the enternalseptember newserver's name.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

    pt
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2