[mazaprin]

You are entitled to your opinion but it wouild be impossible for AOL to install a firewall on my computer without me finding out.

And it is also a fact that pc-cillin firewall inmediately would detect another firewall if that were the case (pc-cillin automatically disable the Microsoft Firewall.

So.... that makes it for a fact that AOL does not install any firewall on Dial up users and they are free to install the firewall of their choice.

Not that I am in love with AOL but it is also not that they are telling me what I want to hear because whatever they tell me I can verify in different ways.

The problem here is solely a technical one related to the AOL scan engine and nothing more.

I know for a fact that pc-cillin 2005 firewall is working fine (I have tested it online) and it is running on background and the inability of AOL scan engine to detect it or not DOES NOT bother me, I am just only curious as to the reason AOL was able to detect the 2004 firewall and not the 2005 one, but I don't care if the problem is solved or not.

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BTW.. how the heck does AOL's server know what you want to allow in or not??

Kinda hard for a dial-up user to log into their server and tell it to allow an IM program through or any program for that matter..

Blowing smoke.. The server MAY filter out virii but I doubt their can configure it to every individual user as far as a firewall goes .. or didn't you think of that??

Murray

[Murray S.]

BTW.. how the heck does AOL's server know what you want to allow in or not??

Kinda hard for a dial-up user to log into their server and tell it to allow an IM program through or any program for that matter..

Blowing smoke.. The server MAY filter out virii but I doubt their can configure it to every individual user as far as a firewall goes .. or didn't you think of that??

Murray

[mazaprin]

The protection measures that AOL has placed on their server is not correctly called a firewall. It is their own system protection and the users has no control over it. It is to protect the AOL system not the individual users. AOL is only an internet connection provider and once you are on the internet BOTH AOL and you could be attacked in different ways. So... AOL protects its system with an array of measures and the Users protect their computers with their own personal firewalls or Microsoft windows firewall.

It seems you are confusing two different things. The supervisor that talked to me meant that the advertisement used the wrong choice of words to describe that for Dial up Users (as opposed to cable or broadband where you are exposed all the time) AOL needs to protect their server because Dial up users get their mail and downloads thru that server and that's where you go to check your email when you are away from your computer (www.aol.com) so you can check your email at aol server at any time from any computer just by entering your screen name and password this feature was not available on versions previous to AOL 8 or 9) and AOL needs to protect that server so nobody hacks your account on the server (not directly thru your PC).

AOL protects its system and you protect your PC in different ways and the supervisor an I we both agree that the comment at the bottom of the Ad was poorly written.

In the phrase: "Dial up Users have automatic FIREWALL protection" the word "firewall" was not the correct word because the protective measures that AOL has placed at their server is not a firewall as we know it, it is another type of protection but the person that wrote the advertisement used the wrong word and put "firewall" there creating the confusion.

It is not the way you think. AOL is not using their server protection as a firewall for the Users BUT to protect their own GLOBAL system (the same as the Utilities companies like the electricity and Phone companies protect their main computers and system in a different way that they protect the phone line inside your home).

So, we are not talking about a gigantic Firewall at the server level (it is not even a firewall, it was improperly named a firewall on the Ad).

[Murray S.]

It seems you are confusing two different things. The supervisor that talked to me meant that the advertisement used the wrong choice of words to describe that for Dial up Users (as opposed to cable or broadband where you are exposed all the time) AOL needs to protect their server because Dial up users get their mail and downloads thru that server and that's where you go to check your email when you are away from your computer (www.aol.com) so you can check your email at aol server at any time from  any computer just by entering your screen name and password this feature was not available on versions previous to AOL 8 or 9) and AOL needs to protect that server so nobody hacks your account on the server (not directly thru your PC).

AOL protects its system and you protect your PC in different ways and the supervisor an I we both agree that the comment at the bottom of the Ad was poorly written.

In the phrase: "Dial up Users have automatic FIREWALL protection" the word "firewall" was not the correct word because the protective measures that AOL has placed at their server is not a firewall as we know it, it is another type of protection but the person that wrote the advertisement used the wrong word and put "firewall" there creating the confusion.

It is not the way you think. AOL is not using their server protection as a firewall for the Users BUT to protect their own GLOBAL system (the same as the Utilities companies like the electricity and Phone companies protect their main computers and system in a different way that they protect the phone line inside your home).

So, we are not talking about a gigantic Firewall at the server level (it is not even a firewall, it was improperly named a firewall on the Ad).

"It seems you are confusing two different things." - So what am I confusing?? They say a firewall.. Poorly written or not, that would constitute false advertizing as their dial-up clients would be lead to believe they are behind a firewall.. I can see a class action suit coming on !!!

AOL needs to protect their server because Dial up users get their mail and downloads thru that server and that's where you go to check your email when you are away from your computer (www.aol.com) so you can check your email at aol server at any time from any computer just by entering your screen name and password this feature was not available on versions previous to AOL 8 or 9) and AOL needs to protect that server so nobody hacks your account on the server (not directly thru your PC). I think YOU are the confused one now.. That would simply require an av scanner NOT a firewall.. AV programs protect you from nasties you download and get through email !! We ARE talking about firewalls here right??

Like I said.. they are blowing smoke.. Saying ONLY what you want to hear..

As for the lack of the Trend Micro recognition, it would be up to AOL to keep up with the changes NOT for Trend to do so..

Bet you can't find a REAL ISP that is having all that trouble !!!

Murray

[mazaprin]

Well you seem to zero in on some AOL ill purposes or intents like if AOL was the devil in disguize or you may have some vendetta against AOL.

Everybody makes mistakes every now and then and the person that wrote that advertisement and named "firewall" to some protective measures that are not a firewall, well that person used the wrong word to describe the protection that AOL uses on its server.

The rest of my comments are my own trying to explain to you the difference between your personal firewall installed on your PC and the protective measures AOL uses to defend its server and I understand the difference between the two protective systems.

We use conventional weapons to protect our PC while AOL uses nuclear weapons to protect their server because if their server is attacked and breached all the AOL customers will suffer the consequences.

I dont know exactly how AOL protects their server or their main system but it has nothing to do with a firewall. The only firewall running on your PC is the one you installed on it, but you are accusing AOL of false advertising just because some MORON wrote that advertisement and used the wrong word describing as a firewall the protectrion aol has on its server.

In other words the only one to blame is the idiot that wrote that Ad and even the supervisor of AOL techs understood the confusion that Ad was creating among users and he is going to make management aware of that mistake so they can correct it or remove that part from the Ad. But to say that they are using false advertising on purpose does not make any sense because why would they create such confusion that will only damage themselves and benefit the competition?

I don't know about other ISPs I have only used AOL for years and I am satisfied with it althought sometimes I have to complaint about something but many friends and relatives of mine have switched to other cheaper ISPs and after a couple
months they came back to AOL for many reasons. AOL is not perfect but it is the easiest to navigate and setup and the one that offers the most protection in many ways.

I don't know what ISP are you using since it seems that you live in Canada and maybe things are different over there. I live in USA (Miami, Florida) and I don;t feel they are doing any type of false advertisement. Believe me, I have witnessed
many false advertisement before, the most of them you can find on used car Ads. they promise you something and when you get there it is a different thing and most dealers have been penalized many times with high fines for doing that and they do it on purpose, intentionally and they don't mind paying the fines if they find many suckers to rob their money.

But I think you are taking this out of proportion, you are making a mountain out of a grain of sand and if you were to consult a lawyer to start a class action lawsuit the lawyer will tell you that you have no solid case because you would have to prove the ill or bad intentions behind that Ad and that's the most difficult part.

[Murray S.]

When is AOL going to sign you up as their spokesperson.. They have you so brainwashed it hurts..

Nuff said.. AOHell is just that!!

Murray