# AOL is finally shutting down its dial-up internet service **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 14, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039 "2025-08-14T15:57:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/21 "2025-08-14T20:18:46Z")
in Dev Tools (which you get to by pressing F12) in Chrome and probably Edge, used for debugging, and also simulating other devices on your development PC, there is an option to “Throttle Network” so that web developers can make sure their app works under slow network conditions. Unfortunately “dial up” is not a pre-loaded setting for throttling. It allows you to enter a “custom” throttle setting and enter the kb/s, presumably allowing a very small number. But I’ve never tried this to see if it works. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/22 "2025-08-14T20:19:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > As an aside, is there a thread about all the things made out of the multitude of AOL disks given away everywhere? I once had someone on the street try to sell me an AOL disk as a “valuable program”. When I told him that those things were free, he smiled sheepishly and walked away. I give him credit for the effort. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/23 "2025-08-14T20:22:15Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > But I’ve never tried this to see if it works. Yeah, tried it myself with a DL speed of 56 kb, upload of 33 kb, and latency of 100 ms. Hacker News was fine, as expected. I gave up on the front page of the SDMB after about 90 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/24 "2025-08-14T20:30:44Z")
There’s actually quite a few modem-friendly sites out there. A few examples: > **[Breaking News, Latest News and Videos | CNN](https://lite.cnn.com)** > > View the latest news and breaking news today for U.S., world, weather, entertainment, politics and health at CNN.com. > **[NPR : National Public Radio](https://text.npr.org)** [https://cbc.ca/lite](https://cbc.ca/lite) [https://68k.news](https://68k.news) > **[Wednesday, August 13, 2025](https://legiblenews.com)** > > Read the daily news for August 13, 2025 > **[Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com)** lobste.rs Tried them all with Chrome network throttling and they’re fine. Often faster than the full-blown site with gigabit internet. Sorta tempted to make some of these my primary sites… ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/25 "2025-08-14T20:31:03Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Is AOL dial-up like the “[Abe Vigoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-current-abe-vigodas-people-you-might-be-surprised-to-learn-are-still-alive/919985) of technologies”? Show of hands, who here is surprised to learn that was actually still around. My hand is raised. I had dial-up internet as recently as 2007 as I had no alternative in the rural area of Arkansas I resided in at the time. I will admit to being mildly surprised AOL still had dial-up services though. Mainly because I thought AOL stopped being an internet provider years ago. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/26 "2025-08-14T20:35:01Z")
It took 26.1 seconds to load this page with the 56k throttle on, about 15 of those seconds were for scripting ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/27 "2025-08-14T20:48:20Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I had dial-up internet as recently as 2007 as I had no alternative in the rural area of Arkansas I resided in at the time. I used dialup at home as late as 2004 but in metro Milwaukee. I was an college student living off campus, the school had a local dialup number, and my roommate had a landline. I spent a lot of time at school so had access to the highspeed there but all dialup at home for that school year. I used a lot of low bandwidth message boards like this one back then. And AOL Instant Messenger. Edit: one roommate was planning her desintation wedding at the time and used my laptop and connection for researching, price quotes, etc. That must have sucked mightily. At least she had a cell phone, I didn’t yet. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/28 "2025-08-14T21:21:03Z")
A major part of my SDMB moderating was on AOL dialup, and that was really fu(n), Let me tell you! ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/29 "2025-08-14T21:33:44Z")
I remember reading the Usenet on AoL, and it wouldn’t display a text-heavy post because its size had exceeded the buffer. That’s when I realized it was AoCRAP. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/30 "2025-08-14T21:43:07Z")
My ISP still provides dialup connectivity. The last time I tried to use it for anything, it was impractically slow for anything except fetching email with my email program. Everything “web” is now coded with cumbersome fancy page code that brings 56K dialup to its knees. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/31 "2025-08-14T22:22:31Z")
AOL dialup was my first home internet access, and I used up until at least 2007 or 2008. By that time I don’t think there was anything AOL-specific I used besides mail; aside from that, it was just a way to get to the WWW. The slow speed was one drawback. The other was that I couldn’t make or receive phone calls while I was online. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/32 "2025-08-14T22:34:44Z")
Almost all places (houses and apartments) are wired for at least two landlines, and they weren’t very expensive back in the day (like $10-20/mo). Definitely worth it before cell phones eliminated the need. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/33 "2025-08-14T23:32:49Z")
I’m not surprised. But then again you’re reading the post of a guy that holds onto his Hotmail dot com email address like a hobo on a ham sandwich. Tripler Damn fool kids with their Outlooks. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/34 "2025-08-14T23:44:36Z")
When I was in college (late 90s) we actually got three lines, and a [Diamond Shotgun modem](https://www.zdnet.com/article/diamond-shoots-for-faster-modems/). Somehow our ISP didn’t care that we were connected on two lines 100% of the time (we used an automatic re-dialer program). We shared the whopping 112 kb/s connection across 4 roommates, but even at that it was pretty good for the time. Nearly ISDN speeds. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2025, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/35 "2025-08-15T00:41:17Z")
Anyone here ever use Juno? I still wonder if I (or my now nine years deceased wife) still have active email accounts there; no possible way I could ever resurrect our passwords. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/36 "2025-08-15T00:46:01Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Anyone here ever use Juno? I used it for a few years in the early 2000s, mainly because they were cheaper than AOL. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2025, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/37 "2025-08-15T01:42:50Z")
This will probably be a boon for people who’ve been paying $9.99 a month for the past 35 years even though they don’t have landlines anymore. (Not me though. I canceled out months ago!) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2025, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/38 "2025-08-15T01:51:00Z")
Found one! [R.ad2d098faa5d71f4abe06069615286b7 (606×566)](https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.ad2d098faa5d71f4abe06069615286b7?rik=ujZTZSv9jWSn7A&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.lifeaftercoffee.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2007%2f05%2fcd_armor.JPG&ehk=8FKbiuk6hvsYv3mcaGRrdCuMw6%2bC94T8Y%2fnZ1aEFIeo%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/39 "2025-08-15T01:59:18Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > I raised my hand… and in so doing, knocked my dear late grandmother’s hand-made porcelain bunny collection off the self, shattering it. Tiny ears, paws, and pastel bows scattered across the carpet like ceramic shrapnel. Somewhere in the distance, I swear I heard “You’ve Got Mail” in a mocking tone. So, thanks for that! 😡 Hare today, gone tomorrow, just like AOL dial-up. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is there a way to artificially throttle down Internet speed to see what would work and what wouldn’t at dialup speed? Ummm, get Comsucktastic??? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2025, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039/40 "2025-08-15T02:06:42Z")
In 2022 0.1% of households relied on dialup. That works out to about 130,000 households. I’m a little surprised that AOL can’t continue to make a profit off that market. How do rural householders access the internet now? I’m guessing smartphone. I see that satellite costs $40-$60 per month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aol-is-finally-shutting-down-its-dial-up-internet-service/1022039.md?page=3)