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AOL ditching dial-up service, a relic of the internet in the ’90s and early ’00s
CNBC ^ | August 11, 2025 | Phil Helsel

Posted on 08/11/2025 5:55:24 AM PDT by Red Badger

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To: Red Badger

Say it ain’t so! LOL. It is all my Dad could ever use with those new fangled computer thangs. Unfortunately, he died in the early 2000’s, which is when dial up should have died.


21 posted on 08/11/2025 6:48:36 AM PDT by silent majority rising (When it is dark enough, men see the stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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To: Red Badger

The Tymnet, Telenet, and PC Pursuit numbers around here were the same as the AOL numbers, that was back in the mid-80s and up into the coming of broadband. :^)


22 posted on 08/11/2025 6:50:18 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (The moron troll Ted Holden believes that humans originated on Ganymede.)
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To: Red Badger

Ahh yes the joys of dialing, getting a busy signal, finally getting in, then getting disconnected after ten minutes.


23 posted on 08/11/2025 6:50:20 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Red Badger

Or someone calling, and knocking you off the Internet.


24 posted on 08/11/2025 6:50:57 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Larry Lucido

The WWW, world wide wait


25 posted on 08/11/2025 6:53:16 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: Red Badger

Never used AOL, I started with Prodigy


26 posted on 08/11/2025 6:54:09 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: Red Badger

To me, this is like seeing an obit about some movie star that you were shocked to find out had still been alive.


27 posted on 08/11/2025 7:08:08 AM PDT by FrankRizzo890
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To: Red Badger

I’m surprised they still had that.


28 posted on 08/11/2025 7:10:44 AM PDT by ealgeone
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To: Red Badger

It seems appropriate that the real life name behind the iconic “You’ve Got Mail” is named Elwood.

Elwood Edwards is his full name. A local radio station actually managed to have Elwood Edwards as a guest. It was an hilarious half hour. People would call in, and he would introduce each caller with “You’ve Got (Jenny, Paul, etc).


29 posted on 08/11/2025 7:26:46 AM PDT by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try )
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To: V_TWIN

😂😂


30 posted on 08/11/2025 7:27:33 AM PDT by Hyman Roth
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To: 1Old Pro

My rural phone cooperative blocked all those free internwt services saying they werent paying for the phone service.
So my options were dial-up throught the co-op or really expensive satellite


31 posted on 08/11/2025 7:52:57 AM PDT by hoosierham (Freedom isnt free)
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To: hoosierham

I did avoid the usual $69.95 connection software by using a $3 clearance internet CD fron Johnnys Toys.


32 posted on 08/11/2025 7:57:07 AM PDT by hoosierham (Freedom isnt free)
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To: SunkenCiv

We had a few local ISPs that all used dial-up as well. They are all either gone, merged, or switched to cable, or fiber optics............


33 posted on 08/11/2025 8:06:51 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: 1Old Pro

Prodigy!........Now there’s a blast from teh past!................


34 posted on 08/11/2025 8:12:15 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: Red Badger
The last gasp that I recall was a company that used a new, proprietary compression to greatly increase the throughput if its modems were used on both ends of the connection. It didn't catch on. The fact is, the switch from dialup to broadband was analogous to the switch from crank starts and stick shifts (Model T) to the self-starters and automatics (and multiple colors).

When a young relative started college years ago, the dorm rooms had already been wired. We picked up an ethernet cable, plugged in her PC, did very little configuring, then she logged on to AOL and the connection pop-up dialogs just flew by and she was online. I remember thinking, I've got to get me some of this. :^)

35 posted on 08/11/2025 8:15:43 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (The moron troll Ted Holden believes that humans originated on Ganymede.)
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To: Red Badger

LOL, I wasn’t aware that anyone still had dial up internet - what a PIA that was back in the day - slow, clunky, tied up the phone line, but it was all we had.

I think my husband disconnected our land line service in around - 2010, maybe earlier - when we no longer had to use the land line to get internet service. He didn’t want to pay the bill and by then everyone was getting cell phones. We never looked back.


36 posted on 08/11/2025 8:31:31 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolutioan?)
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To: drwoof

What’s amazing is it took them that long to put a simple cupholder in a car as standard. I remember buying the ones that hung off your window for many years in the 70’s and 80’s.


37 posted on 08/11/2025 8:42:11 AM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: C210N

My dad made a Christmas tree to put out in the yard with them.


38 posted on 08/11/2025 8:43:37 AM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: C210N

I had friend’s in the country that used them for target skeet.


39 posted on 08/11/2025 8:44:27 AM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: drwoof
1993 (?), going to the International Automobile Show in San Francisco

The European cars were always 10 years ahead of the American cars in cool features, like folding rear seats, etc.

40 posted on 08/11/2025 8:45:31 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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