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Tried dial-up AOL and then a local ISP back in 96 - huge difference

I used AOL for like 2 years thinking that was just how the internet worked, all those busy signals and disconnects. Then my buddy showed me his local ISP, Netcom in Austin, and I could actually browse more than one page without getting kicked off. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized your service was the problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_karen19d ago

Man I remember finally dumping AOL and getting a real ISP, it was like stepping out of a fog. I was using this local company called Earthlink in California, and suddenly I could actually download a song from Napster in under an hour instead of getting kicked off every 10 minutes. Had this weird moment where I realized the little AOL welcome screen was basically a cage the whole time. What were you even paying for dial-up back then, like 20 bucks a month?

the_karen18d ago

Right? That AOL welcome screen felt like a warm hug but it was really just a trap. I was paying like 22 bucks a month for the privilege of hearing a modem scream at me for an hour just to see a jpeg of a blurry cat. Earthlink was the real deal though, solid move.