Will you miss AOL dial-up?

[AviatorTom]

Back in the 1990s, America Online (AOL) CDs were everywhere in the United States, and it was the only way most people had of connecting to the Internet, via dial-up using their home phone's landline. Everyone knew the "You've Got Mail" sound; a movie was even made about it. AOL was the country’s biggest internet provider, but things have changed over the years:

• In 1999, AOL had more than 18 million subscribers.
• In 2015, there were about two million AOL dial-up customers.
• By 2021, that number was in the “low thousands,” a source told CNBC.

Now, decades later, AOL has decided to terminate its dial-up service effective September 30, 2025. Some rural areas still rely on dial-up. Fortunately for them, other companies will still offer dial-up service.

AOL will still maintain its website, which many people (including myself) still occasionally use as a backup source for email.

What do you think?

Will you miss AOL dial-up?

[BonzoInBitburg]

I didn't even know you could still get dialup. I swear I used to get a dozen of those damn AOL cds ever single month back in the mid-late 90s. DSL came to my neighborhood 25 years ago and I got it as soon as I could. I haven't even had a landline since 2010.

[ArrowheadSW]

I don't miss dial-up at all. However, I DO miss AOL. The chatrooms were great and I met a lot of women locally in those chatrooms, and even dated several of them. It was far better than the current dating sites.

[purplepoppy]

Before my time, I thought AOL was like LOL or something

[exitseven]

kids these days...

[chrissykerdock]

i thought that was 25 years ago

[exitseven]

I have not used a dial up modem in 20 years. At work I maintained one on an analog phone line that I kept just for emergencies. This was 25 years ago. I think I tested it a few times but never really used it. I do not think that I will miss it. Verizon has farmed out it's email to AOL so I actually have an AOL email account which I imagine will continue.

[msc545]

I've never had AOL but at one time I owned a company that had about 15,000 pay phones and the way we communicated with the phones to see if they were still in service or to perform various maintenance. Chores was by modem. We literally owned about modems which would communicate with our phones every morning at about 3

[msc545]

ugh. Nevermind!

[OlderAndWiser]

I had an aol e-mail account that got hacked and hijacked. When I called aol customer support, they offered no assistance at all. No, I won't miss them.

[slatyb]

At that time those of us who had been using the internet for years were dismayed at the influx of AOL users into USENET groups and other online forums.

[DryGermanGuy]

I remember, "AOLer" was definitely meant as an insult, not only on comp. sys.*. :-)

[WonderingManII]

I hate dial up internet. I think the internet is so heavy now days, I'm surprised anyone can still use dial up.

[OneViewpoint]

AO who? Snap crackle pop sproing sproing beep. Are those guys even still around?

[genericname85]

you mean the time when the internet was slow as fuck and payed by the minute? hell no, i don't miss that time at all.

[DryGermanGuy]

I never used their service, but they were also a thing in Germany for a few years.

[TonyMetal___86]

The good old days and the dial up mode to access the internet 😄

[LiamS95]

No, I haven't used it for many years in fact I haven't had a landline in at least 5 years.

[Massageman]

I just miss selling off the stock.

[Massageman]

I remember having 56K transfer rate on our old computer. My daughter went to college and they had the latest - 1 meg rate on dorm computer lines. Almost before you were done typing, the reply/answer/confirmation was there. Of course, as soon as there was more capacity, the computer jocks came up with ways to fill THAT bandwidth and so it goes.

[Anonymous]

I'm not from USA so I probably won't.

[DishLady]

No...

[Panthero80]

It is rather nostalgic.

[Bklynbadboy12]

Nope way too slow