Maximum PC dialup RSS Feed

Imagine Connecting to the Internet with a 300 Baud Modem

Justin Kerr — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:00:57 -0500

An enterprising antique hardware collector known only as “Phreakmonkey” on You Tube has recorded and posted a video showcasing what the internet would have looked like in 1964. After detailing his lovingly preserved Livemore Data Systems “Model A” Acousitc Coupler 300 Baud Modem, he then proceeds to demonstrate how he uses it to establish a connection to the net.

Oddly enough, my 10 Mbps cable modem choked on the streaming video a bit, but my faith in my ISP was quickly restored when I compared it to the 300 characters per second this speed demon maxed out at.

This modem is about as (un)maximum as it gets around here, but it certainly is an interesting watch for nostalgic types who enjoy taking a look back at the history of digital communication.

Time Warner is Looking to Spin off AOL – Can it Survive on its Own?

Justin Kerr — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:26:26 -0500

Business schools around the world often study the January 2000 merger of Time Warner & AOL under the headline “Worst Mergers In American Corporate History”. It is not unusual, or unnatural for content creation companies to enter the distribution market, but AOL and magazine publishing arm Time Inc. have dogged their parent companies earnings for years now. Looking to cut its losses, Time Warner announced on Wednesday that it was close to spinning off America Online, an acquisition that has cost the company more than $100 billion in shareholder value.

According to the filing; “Although the company’s board of directors has not made any decision, the company currently anticipates that it would initiate a process to spin off one or more parts of the businesses of AOL to Time Warner’s stockholders, in one or a series of transactions.” When asked about the future of Time Warner, CEO Jeffery L. Bewkes claims the future “may well include publishing” but made it clear that this could change at any time. The company is likely holding out on making any decisions about Time Inc. until the recession eases and it can see if weakening print sales are a result of the recession, or the shift of its readers to online mediums.

Time Warner has already spun off it's cable division, and is clearly looking to focus on content creation, rather than delivery. I also can't help but wonder whether or not an independent AOL would become an acquisition target for Microsoft. The ad network was one of the primary drivers behind the Yahoo talks, and this is one area that AOL still does reasonably well in.

Can AOL survive on it's own? Let us know what you think.

Everyone Wants to Buy Yahoo, Nobody Wants to Buy AOL, Reports Captain Obvious

Chris Moody — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:13:52 -0500

And is there any wonder? Time Warner has been in talks with both Microsoft and Yahoo about selling off its AOL unit through out this year, but both companies have been much more interested in each other than the crumbled remains of AOL. Time Warner has showed a renewed interest in a deal and Microsoft and Yahoo continue to listen, but neither company appeared to be especially interested.

The NYTimes.com quotes Richard Greenfield, an analyst who covers Time Warner for Pali Capital, “I don’t see why anyone would make a move now with all the pieces on the chess board where they are,” he said. He adds that Time Warner was in a bad spot because the value of AOL was declining. (Doesn’t everyone want dialup?) Its main business is now selling graphical display ads and that is under pricing pressure. Greenfield also says its brand has a “toxic” connotation with consumers. The company does not even use the AOL name when it starts new web sites.

From its days as the evil empire of dialup companies, they earned the nickname ‘AOHell’. The company seemed to lack firm direction, buying various companies with no obvious connection to their business and often ruining them in the process. Perhaps the most famous of these is ICQ. The most popular IM program of the time was turned into bloatware, which quickly sank out of sight. Don’t even get me started on Netscape. AOL entered the portal ring way late and had already bled dialup users seeking the freedom of the internet compared to AOL’s own internal version of it. The company has been aimless and with its almost necrotic touch, is it any wonder consumers find the brand toxic?

Survey Says: Dial-Up Users Just Don't Want Broadband

Mark Edward Soper — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:49:33 -0500

The AP reports that a new Pew Internet and American Life Project survey of American Internet use (PDF format) shows a variety of reasons why 62% of current dial-up users aren't switching to broadband. The big three:

14% can't get broadband (a figure that rises to 24% in rural America)
35% say broadband is too expensive
19% say they're sticking with dial-up, no matter what

The remainder (39%) don't know or cite other reasons (multiple responses add up to over 100%).

Who's Not Online

Of the 35% of American households who aren't online, about a third have no interest in getting online, and about 20% are former online users. "Older and lower-income Americans are most likely to be offline." What will it take to get more broadband use? It's not a simple answer.

Lower Prices Are Not a Universal Answer

If you work for a broadband ISP, the results of this survey make for an interesting comparison with current marketing campaigns. Most broadband ISPs are marketing bundle savings, and many offer a range of broadband speeds at different prices, but if this survey is accurate, a majority of current dial-up users won't be swayed. What's even more interesting is what's been happening to broadband and dial-up pricing.

Broadband Down, Dial-Up Up (Pricewise, That Is)

Compared to late 2005, broadband users are now paying about 4% less per month, while dial up users are now paying about 9% more.

Lower Prices + More Availability: Some Will Still Hold Out

Even if the most common types of broadband (cable and DSL) become more widely available, about 20% of users say they won't switch. However, rural dial-up users are much more likely to want broadband than urban or suburban dial-up users. This is ironic because of the much greater difficulties in making low-cost broadband available to rural users.

Satellite or Fixed Wireless Service Providers: They Don't Know You Exist

Although satellite Internet or fixed wireless broadband services are used by 10% of urban and suburban users, rising to 16% for rural users, the survey suggests that most potential broadband users who cite lack of availability don't know about satellite or fixed wireless service. Companies providing these services have a large untapped market.

Broadband Users Do More - Faster

The Online Activities section of the report (PDF pages 26-28) provides a detailed breakdown of what Internet users are doing. As you can imagine, broadband users perform every task listed, from downloading podcasts to reading blogs, at a much higher rate than dial-up users.

"Hidden" Free Public Access Not Measured

One reason that many users are not yet connected at home was not taken into account by the survey: the widespread availability of broadband-class computers at schools and libraries.

While some computers in these locations are dedicated to looking up items from the library's collection, many of them can be used free of charge or for a nominal fee for Internet access by library card holders. When free access like this is taken into account, the notion of a "digital divide" between users and non-users at home might not be as dire as some suggest.