[NBLUG/talk] Linux for an AOL addict?

Lincoln Peters sampln at sbcglobal.net
Tue Jul 19 08:43:46 PDT 2005


On Sun, 2005-07-17 at 23:35 -0700, Walter Hansen wrote: 
> I know that once you actually connect to AOL, it basiclly behaves like a
> normal ppp connection. The linux software probably establishes the
> connection only. 

Sounds promising...

> All the little AOL &*(^&^% probably requires their
> software. Don't have a clue about it's availablity in linux. Dual boot?

Dual-boot will not suffice for this kind of technophobe.  If I can't
provide EVERYTHING she expects from a Windows PC without resorting to
dual-booting, she'll never boot into Linux, not even to save her own
sanity.

I can see two possible solutions:

1. Install WINE, so that all the little AOL &*(^&% will run on Linux.
I've never used WINE (yet), so I don't have any idea how well this would
work.  I wouldn't be surprised if it proved slow and crash-prone, and
while that might be acceptable for a veteran Windows user, it wouldn't
be acceptable for me (as the guy who sets it up).

2. Find an alternative to all the little AOL &*(^&% that will provide
all of the same so-called "premium content" on Linux, either using AOL's
actual content or equivalent content pulled from other sources.  I
haven't used AOL for about 8 years, but I'm sure that such an
alternative would require lots of gaudy eye candy to be acceptable to
the average AOL addict.

---
Lincoln Peters
<sampln at sbcglobal.net>

This place just isn't big enough for all of us.  We've got to find a way
off this planet.




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