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America Online
Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation before changing to Quantum Computer Services in 1985 and America Online in 1991. The America Online name appears to have been used for the PC client software product as of 1989.
In January 1998, America Online, Inc. acquired CompuServe's worldwide consumer online services and created CompuServe Interactive Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of America Online. CompuServe Interactive Services oversees the world's most comprehensive online service, CompuServe, serving serious users at home, in the workplace and around the globe, and SpryNet, an Internet only access provider. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and headed by Mayo S. Stuntz, Jr., CompuServe Interactive Services operates as a separate brand and service in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere in the world and has approximately 2 million members worldwide. AOL and its joint venture partner Bertelsmann AG own and operate the CompuServe and AOL services in Europe -- making this joint venture the leading pan-European Internet online service provider. CompuServe's international operations are overseen by AOL International.
One of the fastest-growing and largest commercial online services, with more than two million members who have access to a wide variety of discussion groups, news, travel, chat, and mail services. Commonly referred to as AOL.
America Online, like CompuServe, Prodigy, and the other commercial services, requires a monthly fee for membership. Members can connect for five hours per month without extra charge; beyond five hours they are billed an hourly fee for connection.
In return, members get a number of benefits, including:
- Electronic mail to other AOL members or, through gateways, to members of other online services or other parts of the Internet.
- News and reference materials online, including the Reuters and Associated Press newswires, magazines such as Time and Macworld databases, a news clipping services, stock reports.
- GNN, an Internet service.
- Travel and shopping services.
- More than 500 forums where people with similar interests can chat and share files.
- People Connection: Chat rooms and “auditoriums” where up to 2,000 people can meet celebrities online.
- Games and entertainment.
America Online offers an attractive graphical interface for browsing files and sending email (see the following figure). It also offers full access to the Internet, including Gopher, WAIS, FTP, and Usenet. Members can post free home pages on the World Wide Web.
In early 1996, AOL announced that ithad licensed Microsoft’s Internet Explorer to be the standard, built-in Web browser for AOL members. Microsoft was expected to begin incorporating AOL software into Windows 95, so AOL can be accessed from the Windows 95 desktop. AOL also licensed Netscape Navigator as the standard Web browser for AOL’s GNN Internet service.
When you first launch the America Online software, it will dial AOL using a toll-free number. You will be asked to select a permanent AOL phone number close to your home, as well as a secondary phone number to serve as a backup.
The AOL software will then hang up and redial using your permanent number. You will be asked to choose an AOL ID and to specify a password and a credit card that America Online will bill for your connection time. You will also have to fill in personal data.