AOL Is Ending Its Dial-Up Service Even Though Most People Thought Both Had Been Dead For Years
Wait... that's still around?
Technology moves at an absurd rate, especially these days, which is why it's crazy to think that until Sept. 30, AOL is still offering dial-up internet.
Which, for anyone under 25 reading this, is where the internet comes through your phone lines…
…and for anyone under 18 reading this, phone lines are wires that connect all telephones…
…and for anyone under 12 reading this, telephones are… meh, you should still know that one.
According to Fox Business, Yahoo, which owns AOL (or as it was once known, America Online), announced the dial-up software and the AOL Shield browser, which is meant for older operating systems and dial-up connections.
"We are discontinuing the dial-up internet service component included in certain legacy AOL Advantage, CompuServe, and Netscape Connect Plans as we innovate to meet the needs of today’s digital landscape," a Yahoo spokesperson said.
Damn. Poor one out for the dial-up homies.
AOL is ending its dial-up internet service next month, something most of us thought happened years ago. (Getty Images)
I know some people, especially in rural areas, still depended on dial-up, but the second Starlink came along, it was on borrowed time.
Still, there's something Norman Rockwellian about dial-up internet. That horrific sound it used to make when it dialed up (hence the name). The snail's pace at which it did everything. Getting yelled at by your mom because she's trying to make a phone call, but you're chatting with school chums on AOL Instant Messenger.
What a time to have been alive.
But at least now I can watch or listen to pretty much anything ever created and have it instantly. I think I'll take that trade-off. Heck, I'm going to go watch one of my favorite episodes from the early 1960s sci-fi anthology series The Outer Limits —"The Zanti Misfits" — right now, just because I can.
But, as a send-off to dial-up, I'm only going to do so after making a series of annoying noises while I connect to the streaming app.
RIP.