AOL Dialer for Linux

jesuscash writes "Linspire today announced the availability of Internet dialer software that provides direct access to the Internet for desktop Linux users via AOL's dial-up ISP service."

Hoooooray!

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

There are no words to express the gratitude.

At last! AOL and Linux!

A match made in heaven

[BumbaCLot]

Who could possibly make fun of AOL that wouldn't make fun of Linspire? Are these on E-machines? I miss my Packard-Bell.

Re:A match made in heaven

[gangien]

you know e-machines seem to get a bad rep.. I don't understand why exactly. Mine has been solid as a rock. And the support when i first got it was pretty good too. No regrets in buying it.

Re:A match made in heaven

[NateTech]

I'm enjoying my eMachines M2105 laptop. $600 after rebate, 2.8 GHz Celeron and a 15.4" widescreen. Damn sight cheaper than the competition, and runs SuSE just dandy.

And guess what... if you do your homework you find out they don't make them themselves, a company in Taiwan does, and they sell these things into the U.S. under three brand names. eMachines is just one of them... the cheapest.

Linspire only?

[wowbagger]

The blub linked says "Available free to all Linspire users, ..." but says nothing about non-Linspire users.

Question: is this available for non-Linspire machines?

The code link [linspire.com] on the Linspire page seems broken - the correct one is here [linspire.com]

Re:Linspire only?

[zangdesign]

Question: is this available for non-Linspire machines?

Oh, gods! The horror ...

If you do dialup through AOHELL, you deserve exactly what you're going to get ...

Hopefully AOL shouldn't have any problems

[mind21_98]

Even though it's open source, AOL might try to invoke the DMCA on this. In any case, this is very good news for anyone wanting to get Linux onto more desktops. I wish Linspire the best of luck with their dialer, and hopefully they can build a complete AOL client based on this.

Re:Hopefully AOL shouldn't have any problems

[numbski]

Mirror! [stg-stl.net]

Since they've now blocked all referers that are NOT linspire.com. Heh.

Re:Hopefully AOL shouldn't have any problems

[numbski]

Nevermind, I was wrong. They're not blocking it. Oh well, still a mirror. :P

Can't wait for the commercial

[L. VeGas]

Linus Torvalds: "Hey! You've got AOL in my Linux!"
Steve Case: "You've got Linux in my AOL!"

I don't believe it.

[weeboo0104]

This is clearly "vaporware". Everybody knows that Linux does not exist. [slashdot.org]

So THAT's what they were talking about

[the_maddman]

Now we know what today's threat to the internet is. Thanks for cleaning that up Linspire.

Penggy

[trans_err]

Penggy [apinc.org] has been allowing linux users to dial connect to AOL for quite some time. Who wants to put a bet on where most of the code came from. All in all- this is old news.

The same thing that was debated years ago when penggy was announced on /. will most likely be argued here: Why would linux users want to connect to AOL?

Although, marketing this software through linspire makes a lot more sense considering their more simplistic market.

Re:Penggy

[FLAGGR]

Why would windows users want to connect to AOL?

The obvious answer is they're dumb, or being forced to or something. But there are alot of AOL users, and if they have the option to switch to Linux, then cool, good for them. Just because you don't use AOL and don't like it doesn't mean other people don't.

Ew I sounded pro-AOL there :

Re:Penggy

[whathappenedtomonday]

Why would windows users want to connect to AOL?

will someone please ask the correct question now!

why would anyone want to connect to AOL?

Re:Penggy

[robochan]

Why would linux users want to connect to AOL?

Most Linux users wouldn't. However, there are many AOL users that would like to be able to use Linux (or _I_ would like them to be abe to use Linux) and not have their entire AOL experience changed. While Penggy is a great idea, it does _not_ replace the AOL software, and for many people, AOL _is_ the internet. They have no idea wtf an antivirus is or that windows update even exists. They run Win9x on a 233, beefed up with some RAM, that their grandkid gave to

This WILL NEVER be supported

[SpooForBrains]

There is no point in this, because without the support from AOL you might as well use any other dialup account. Some of them may even provide support for Linux users.

AOL will never support Linux. Or at least, not until the market share breaks 10%, and probably not even then.

If you're smart enough to use Linux

[mhesseltine]

You're smart enough to not need the hand-holding that AOL provides.

Honestly, who is going to use this? If you want to setup a Linux desktop for your grandma, fine. But set her up with a local dialup provider. After all, she's not going to call their tech support, she's going to call you.

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[cjpez]

Haven't looked at pricing lately, but perhaps AOL is cheaper dialup than you can get otherwise, and if broadband isn't available for whatever reason, it may make financial sense to do so. Or not, like I said, I don't know what AOL costs.

Uh, No

[El]

$22.95/month is definately NOT cheaper than you can get elsewhere.

Re:Uh, No

[cjpez]

Well, there we have it I guess. As I said, I had no idea what it cost.

Re:Uh, No

[ottawanker]

AOL is free. You sign up for the free hours/month, and then when you go to cancel, they'll offer you a free month to keep you a customer, rinse, repeat.

I had AOL for a year as a backup for my broadband connection, and didn't pay a cent.

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[name773]

I don't know what AOL costs.
your soul. there's a clause about it somewhere in the middle of the eula...

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[black mariah]

Honestly, who is going to use this?

Ummm... mebbe the same people that use Linspire?

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[burns210]

Wal-mart cheapo PCs for 300 bucks, with Linspire + AOL subscription... That is a sweet spot for the ma 'n' pop users of the world... This isn't something that should be rushed into the debian -unstable branch, but that isn't the market Linspire wants. They want the users that don't know how to use a computer, they want the users that buy a pc because of a coupon in the newspaper from wal-mart advertising computers cheap. Linspire wants the 'windows 98 is good enough for me' crowd... and you know what? the m

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[black mariah]

Fuckin' EXACTLY. People in general don't give a fuck about computers, about software, or any sort of lame fucking computer culture idologies. All they care about is that they can email friends and relatives, and play some solitaire when they're bored. I really, REALLY wish more people here would understand that.

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[burns210]

We need a single distro that is so locked down, that users don't even know the UNIX side exisits... Imagine...

1. Use a web interface for purchasing/downloading/updating software.
2. Use Zero Install for software installs, running them off the internet(a local server from the distro, or the developer's) and cache the download for 'offline'/faster loading use.
3. The culmination of all things automated, best hardware autorecognition, X/Sound/Video auto configured.
4. Hide the entire filesystem except for /home/

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[name773]

linux is meant to be open and configurable. i use it because it is not even remotely close to the system you describe.
however, a custom distro like that on one configuration of hardware would be all right to try, you wouldn't have to auto detect, it would be pre-configured.

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[absurdhero]

aside from the sensational stuff, you just described Mac OS X. Its been around for 3 or 4 years now. No need to imagine, a lot of people use it.

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[burns210]

Had I not been at work *cough*, I would be reading your post from my G4 12" Powerbook... I agree with you.

Re:If you're smart enough to use Linux

[SpooForBrains]

You can do exactly what you describe with this [suse.com], this [kde.org] and this [tldp.org].

A little redundant?

[mattgorle]

I would have thought that we linuxers had understood how to connect to the net through dialup by now...

Still, it's nice(?!) to see them take it seriously enough to release software for linux, even if it's been done [freshmeat.net] several [kde.org] times [maruhn.com] before...

Re:A little redundant?

[sjbcfh]

I would have thought that we linuxers had understood how to connect to the net through dialup by now...

Except that AOL doesn't use a regular PPP connection. They use their own proprietary dialup protocol, instead.

I agree.

[hummassa]

N/T

too late...

[advocate_one]

my father was a dedicated AOL user for a long time... and the only thing holding him back from switching to Linux was the lack of a proper dialer for Linux...

In the end, the worms and other nasties of ms-windows life finally gave him the final push over to Linux... and that was the end of his AOL account... it was a painfull break for him, but in the long run he's had no regrets and he can still chat with his friends via Gaim, but as far as he's concerned, the lack of official support from AOL for Linux has cost them an account

Re:This is good but i think its also redundent.

[CableModemSniper]

nasty USB modem? Methinks you are confused. This is not about AOL's Broadband but their regualar dialup service. (You know, the one that uses a plain old modem and a phone line?)

Re:This is good but i think its also redundent.

[Celt]

He's reffering to AOL UK DSL, which ships a BT Voyager 105 USB DSL modem
Not dialup..

Re:This is good but i think its also redundent.

[CableModemSniper]

Fine, dandy, my point is that the dialer software which is story is about is for AOL's regular dialup, not their DSL.

Re:This is good but i think its also redundent.

[Celt]

AOL UK DSL does work without the AOL software,
1. install modem
2. create dialup connection using the device
3. dial vpi/vci number
4. use username in form of e-mail address
5. Connect

wow the hacking skillz involved are amazing to say the least, this method has worked for well over a year

Finally...

[silicon not in the v]

A bicycle for my fish...

What's the news here ?

[wsapplegate]

I'm not sure what's so revolutionary with this program (the two links in the press release end up in a 404, so I can't check if it has something new), but an AOL dialer for Linux already exists [apinc.org]. In fact, they've even been threatened by (and lost their old domain name to) AOL. As far as I know, their software still works today. Wouldn't this be another publicity stunt by Mr. Robertson and Lin(dows|d-ws|spire) ?

Old news

[thelenm]

Oh, we already heard this story [slashdot.org]... er, wait. I guess that wasn't America Online...

Hmmm

[oKtosiTe]

Will this dialer also be included in future AOL frisbees?

Duck!

[vasqzr]

File this one along with the following classic:

A network engineer sits at his workstation late one night in a datacenter.

*finishes typing*

"There. That should do it. Now all the members of AOL have access to the Internet."

Is it just me?

[Stevyn]

Or does anyone feel almost betrayed by Linspire? Alright, maybe not betrayed, but bamboozled. Initially, they said they were going to revolutionize linux and make it easy for everyone and thus promote linux as a whole as a real competitor to windows and mac os.

But they had problems with their name that was clearly to rip off windows. They promised full compatibility with windows apps, but that never mounted to much that crossover and I guess wine can't do. Their software distribution is a pay for free

Re:Is it just me?

[KWTm]

I bought one of the $200 computers from Wal-Mart, with Lindows (so-called at the time) pre-installed.

First thing I did with it was install Mandrake over it.

Wow

[fredopalus]

The clashing of 2 very different kinds of "free".

The difference is marketing

[dacarr]

The reason why this gets more coverage is because it's marketed. Keep in mind that your typical luser is more likely to go andhear about it throuch commercials than hunt around on places like Freshmeat and Sourceforge.