Web browsers....

[Smiling JOe]

I wondered about that, since I'd seen previous posts that suggested you were rather knowledgable in that area.

I might be trying to bone up on the AV you're interested in later this summer.
Son's going to be involved in some stuff next school year I want to capture on video and edit later - and I'm a babe in the woods in that arena (video editing on the desktop) at this point.

Any tips you (or others) might be inclined to part with in that respect would be most appreciated.

I, too am just a baby with the video. To date, I have not been able to get Microsoft Movie Maker to acknowledge that my camera is a video camera, so I have not done any editing, though would like to do so when I get some time in the future. I have a feeling that you may be sharing your tips with me.

 

[Cork On the Ocean]

I'm a hardcore anti Micro and still use Netscape but they've gotten so cumbersome over the last couple of years. Loads slow etc. Might have to try Firefox but are they only a browser or do they have a mail handler? I use netscape communicator for my mail. To many worms aimed at Outlook.

I love FireFox, but I don't think it is owned by Google unless there was a recent takeover. I hate Explorer for many reasons. Only on a few pages which I use, does FireFox not work well, so I keep Explorer on my desk top just in case, but I rarely use it. Firefox is much more user friendly, and blocks all pop-ups extremely well. I FireFox and have been pushing it since I began using it over a year ago.

Unplugged, be aware that Emerald Coast of Assoc of Realtors is one site which does not work well with FireFox, but I use it anyway.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Cork, they do have an email program too, but you download it separately. Go here for the downloads.

 

[OhioBeachBum]

I'm a hardcore anti Micro and still use Netscape but they've gotten so cumbersome over the last couple of years.

Yes - that's why they separated all the Netscape/Mozilla "suite" functionality into separate programs. Firefox cooks in comparison.

Might have to try Firefox but are they only a browser or do they have a mail handler?

Mail tools is ThunderBird. Nice piece of work...

 

[Smiling JOe]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzbOoJNC_TU"]YouTube - firefox and retarded browsers[/ame]

 

[John R]

AOL May Speed Shift Away From Subscribers
New Strategy Designed to Make Company More of a Web Portal for a Broadband World

By Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 7, 2006; Page D04

AOL is considering a rapid acceleration to a new business strategy, one in which it gives away premium services that its broadband customers pay for -- such as e-mail addresses and parental controls -- and moves away from its dependence on member subscriptions, according to people familiar with the internal discussions.

Instead, the company would gamble on increasing ad revenue and a portal-type presence on the Web that would make the Dulles-based Internet pioneer look more like powerhouses Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. It means that the company initially could be giving up $1.8 billion in revenue from subscription fees that would probably be recouped through advertising revenue over time, one analyst said.

America Online and Time Warner

America Online Inc. is trying to find ways to keep customers coming back to its Internet community while parent company Time Warner Inc. seeks ways to expand its Internet empire.

At the same time, AOL could also sacrifice hundreds or thousands of jobs related to marketing and subscriber retention -- most of which are outside the company's headquarters -- and bring an end to the familiar free CDs that offer trial subscriptions to its dial-up service.

AOL declined to comment on its plans yesterday. But a person familiar with the internal discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plan is not final, said the company is trying to determine which content offered to only subscribers should be available to everyone. The company would not abandon its dial-up members but would halt efforts to recruit new customers.

Bear Stearns analyst Spencer Wang wrote in a memo released yesterday that he expects AOL to begin the transition this year, noting that the company has already taken steps to pull back from advertising its dial-up service. Wang also estimated that AOL could shed more than 80 percent of the company's call-center staff.

Some analysts expressed shock at the idea of AOL giving up subscription revenue to make the transition and characterized the plan as risky. Many, though, said the drastic move is necessary for AOL to survive.

"It's a case where AOL has to make a move to stay competitive," said Rob Enderle, a Silicon Valley technology consultant. "While they are declining slowly, they are still declining. It wasn't a matter of if but when they would be dead."

AOL built its business by introducing people to the Internet at a time when dial-up was the norm. In recent years, high-speed DSL or cable service has replaced the slower service, and AOL's subscriber base has steadily shrunk.

The firm reported 18.6 million subscribers in the United States on March 30, a decline from 21.7 million a year ago. For broadband customers who get their Internet service from a phone or cable company, AOL offers subscriptions that include premium features such as parental controls and security programs, for monthly fees of $15 to $26.

"They can't be an Internet service provider in a broadband world," said James C. Goss, a media and entertainment analyst at Barrington Research Associates Inc. in Chicago. "With three-quarters of Internet users on broadband, we're almost at a broadband world."

A year ago, AOL began offering many of its services for free on AOL.com, but it still relies on its subscriber base to attract advertisers. In May, AOL announced plans to cut 1,300 jobs at call centers in Arizona and Florida to reflect the declining subscriber numbers.

If AOL moves ahead with the plan, it faces another challenge: overcoming its image as an old player on the Internet, compared with newer, hotter properties such as Google. Yankee Group Research Inc. analyst Matthew Del Percio said that many people perceive AOL as "your mom and dad's Internet provider" and that a strategy shift may help to start improving that image.

"AOL really needs something to send a jolt down its spine," he said.