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Have you heard about AOL's new plans called "AOL Anywhere?" Well it's basically apart of the strategy to keep America Online on top of the Internet Service Provider industry. AOL is currently developing methods of bringing AOL to even more people in the world by cable services and TV set-top boxes and they have already cut a deal with 3Com to allow AOL account access on their already overly popular PalmPilot. And eventually possibly trying to create a JAVA based operating system that is basically America Online all the time.

Now that you have the gist of it.... I have read the few articles that are out about it in places like MSNBC, Cnet, and right off of AOL's keyword "NEWS". And I must say that they are all very different in tone. The first article I read about it was on MSNBC. (The article is no longer on MSNBC so there is no reference any longer.) This article titled "AOL's epic aim: to slay Microsoft" now let's discuss this for a moment. The title would lead one to believe that America Online (the largest Online Company) could at any minute debut something that could instantaneously murder off Microsoft (the second largest Company in the World). If you read this article it is even written in such a way that AOL is made out to be the devil himself, come to take over the world. (Now you must remember that the MS in MSNBC stands for :"MicroSoft". Microsoft seems to believe that America Online is planning to completely eliminate the need for Windows on personal computers. MSNBC even went as far as to call the "AOL Anywhere" plans "AOL Everywhere." Now I am a big fan of Microsoft, but even I know that they can not talk about any other companies being "everywhere" Microsoft Windows does hold over 90% of the market share in operating systems. (Now before you Microsoft Haters begin to believe that I am on your side CLICK HERE!)

The second place I read about this was on C-Net's News.com this was a much less biased source. Their story (found here) helped to better understand what was really going on with AOL's "AOL Anywhere" plans.

The third place I read about this was on AOL at keyword "NEWS" the story there was very vague and made AOL seem like the perfectly legit, calm, little angel that was just here to better themselves and not out to murder off any of it's fellow competitors. Well that's a big bunch of BS. The computing industry has gotten so far out of hand simply because we have one company that has been better than all others and has won over the American public and climbed to the top of the ladder and plans to stay there. Microsoft wouldn't be at the top if they didn't have good products. It's simple as that. Now all of these other companies (Sun, Netscape, Apple, America Online, Corel, Novel, and Lotus to name a few) are all simply jealous that they do not have that success. This success wouldn't be difficult to take away if these stupid CEO's and upper management would stop wasting their energy on jealousy and start putting their energy into creating something better than Microsoft.

As far as AOL Anywhere there was one thing consistent in all of the articles, AOL and the PalmPilot is a good idea, it will better both companies and is 100% feasible. AOL and cable is also a good idea, it will better the American Cable-Watching public and AOL and could work I give it an 85% feasibility. AOL and this new JAVA operating system is possible, and it is possible that it will be good, maybe even better than Windows, but in order to truly "kill" Microsoft and their Windows phenom it would have to be truly revolutionary and be enough to warrant consumers wanting to switch over. A friend of mine was talking about how good the new "Star Wars" movie would be and in comparison to the old "Star Wars" didn't think it would or even could be better simply because the first Star Wars revolutionized special effects and movie making. And in order for this new one to be as good as that it too would have to do something revolutionary that has never been done before. Well this is sort of the same thing with Windows and AOL Anywhere. Windows is to the first Star Wars as AOL Anywhere is to the new Star Wars.

And in the words of Stone Cold Steve Austin. "That's all I've got to say about that!"