At 02:09 AM 2/1/97 -0800, Christian C. Burke wrote:

>What now?  I would suggest using up your free hours quickly and getting
>off of AOL.  This would save you a lot of headaches.
>
>There are lots of good internet service providers out there.  AOL is NOT
>one of them.

I suppose the above post comes in the wake of all the difficulty AOL
subscribers have been having getting on line now that the cost of
subscribing has been turned into a $20 fee for all-you-can-eat.  It may be
true that their internet service is not up to the standards of a good
internet-only service, but people join AOL for many other reasons, not the
least of which is the package in which their product is wrapped.  Families
with children, especially find it useful.

For those frustrated with the difficulty in getting onto AOL, read the
following:  I log onto AOL without encountering busy signals and without
having to wait for a line to be free.  In addition, I no longer have to pay
the phone bill (a toll call) from my home to the nearest AOL access number.
 What's more (and I'll do it soon) my AOL bill can be reduced from
$20/month to just $10/month for this unlimited service.

How is this done?  AOL subscribers have a choice of signing onto the
service with AOL's network ($20/month) or through an independent internet
provider (TCP/IP).  I found an internet provider within my local calling
area ($20/month) and sign onto AOL through it.  Because I never use AOL's
network, I never encounter busy signals, and am never limited by the
constraints of the network capacity of my nearest AOL access number.  The
extra money I pay to the internet service provider is more than made up in
telephone savings.  As a side benefit, having an internet service provider
offers users the choice of using pure internet or going through AOL.

Robert Baron