I agree and disagree.
Obviously, you know more about the technical aspects of their software.
However, if you have a dial-up connection it makes sense to have AOL.
I haven't used AOL's browser in years, even when I had to dial-up.
Now that I have DSL, the AOL account is like a long-held phone number/back-up when DSL is down.
It works.
As for AOL people not knowing how the internet works?
Um, to be sure a lot don't because they're NEW to the game.
As I stated, I was doing HTML nearly a decade ago, and until the high-speed era, AOL was fine(except for that short time they took on more subscribers than they had bandwidth for)
Now, it's just a backup. I also have a bias against NetZero because what WAS free is no longer(not that I expected any different, but don't shove commie-glorifying commercials down my throat on football sundays either)
most broadband connections are NOT 9.95, so if a person can get AOL broadband or Verizon, go for it. Either would be better than
Excite@Home, which is what we had prior to Interquest.
I never liked NetZero. My brother had it and could never get in.
I have Qwest VDSL, which is reasonably fast downloading, and smoking fast uploading. It's perfect for me because I upload a lot of files. Their reliability is great, too, which is odd because they have a terrible reputation for their dial-up service.
When I had dial-up I used a local ISP--cheap and reliable. I admit I am biased against AOL, but I have my reasons. I am not a technician, so I try to stay away from programs which tie up my time with glitches (Microsoft is bad enough!)