AOL Mail To Be Accessible Via IMAP

jfruhlinger writes "News.com.com is reporting that AOL's e-mail service, long accessible only via AOL's proprietary, monolithic app, will be available via IMAP starting Thursday. The story notes that this is part of a series of initiatives from AOL to move content beyond its walled garden and into standards-based formats such as HTML and IMAP that any Internet app can access. Supposedly a 'a dramatically different direction' for Netscape is in the works, too."

Hey Nice

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I can delete the 99% spam I get in my AOL inbox faster!

Finally

[Andreas(R)]

This is one less reason to make fun of aol users :)

what speed

[jacquesm]

The lightning speed with which AOL makes new technology available to their users has always amazed me !

important question...

[spangineer]

This is great news for AOL people, but there is one important issue to worry about...

Will they still be able to hear the nice person's voice say, "You've Got Mail"?

Egads...

[RareHeintz]

Wow. It's like they want to be a real ISP or something.

new mail

[grub]

"You've got standards-based mail!"

Hello? what news?

[0BoDy]

Any Hacker that's been unfortuneate enough to get stuck using free trials of AOL has know that AOL was accessable by an off-branded-sort of IMAP for years, at least 8 years in fact. The fact that they're telling people this, is Good I suppose, but You can connect via Oulook, If you want, but I'm not sure why this is really valueable to anyone, since IMAP isn't the easiest thing to setup, and if someone is using AOL. . . .

As Far as I know, I have possitive Carma, mod me down if you must

[OT] Re:important question...

[lukewarmfusion]

When I was developing a patient community for a cancer treatment facility, I had a wav that, upon login, played "You've got cancer!"

My boss thought it was hilarious. Good thing we remembered to take it out before the client saw it!

Funny comment on NPR

[The I Shing]

This reminds me of a funny thing a commentator on NPR said a few years ago, "Having aol.com in your email address is the online equivalent of wearing a Members Only jacket."

What really makes me cringe is when I see an AOL address on the website of someone who owns his or her own domain name. Why can't you just use your domain name email? Why would you admit that you're an AOL subscriber? my brain screams.

Re:important question...

[elwell642]

Will they still be able to hear the nice person's voice say, "You've Got Mail"?

Sure! But now the emphasis will be different:

" You've got mail!"

(Which I suppose means that all previous AOL clients will be auto-upgraded to say, "We've got your mail!")

New Direction?

[emc]

Supposedly a 'a dramatically different direction' for Netscape is in the works, too.

Woo Hoo!

Any new direction is better than their current direction: down.

Re:Finally

[DR SoB]

Haha! No more, "Hey AOL, 1994 called, they want their email service back!"

Re:Finally

[elwell642]

Right. One down, 5.28 million to go.

Netscape's New Direction

[AvoidTheNoid]

Supposedly a 'a dramatically different direction' for Netscape is in the works, too.

Moving away from the web portal/browswer business, the new Netscape will travel the earth harvesting the souls of the weak.

Re:They Could Do THis All Along

[Complicity]

Competition always encourages innovation

Only with AOL could IMAP be considered 'innovation' :)

Re:Funny comment on NPR

[Allen Varney]

What really makes me cringe is when I see an AOL address on the website of someone who owns his or her own domain name. Why can't you just use your domain name email? Why would you admit that you're an AOL subscriber? my brain screams.

Try the decaf, friend. I have my own domain and I still use my AOL e-mail address -- because I've had that same address for over a decade, and changing it would be bad for my business.

Hey, I'm an AOL subscriber AND I have a lower Slashdot ID than you! If your brain was screaming before, that must make your brain want to choke. If it turns out my karma is better than yours, will your brain commit hara-kiri?

Atricle Text .... for the AOL Slashdot visitors:

[Anonymous Coward]

AOL MALE 2 B AC3SIBL3 VIA IMAP

POSTAD BY TIMOTHY ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 21 @1013M
FROM TEH MOV3-IN-RIGHT-DIERCTION D3PT
JFRUHLNGAR!111 WRIETS NEWSCOMCOM1!!! OMG WTF IS R3PORTNG TAHT AOLS 3-MALE S3RVIEC LONG AC3SIBLE ONLY VIA AOLS PROPREITARY MONOLITHIC AP WIL B AVALEABL3 VIA IMAP STARTNG THURSDAY!!1! LOL TEH S2RY NOTES TAHT THIS IS PART OF A SAREIS OF INITIATVEIS FROM AOL 2 MOVE CONT3NT BYOND ITS WALAD GARDEN AND IN2 STANDARDS-BAESD FORMATS SUCH AS HTML AND IMAP TAHT ANY INTERNET AP CAN ACAS!!!1!1! WTF SUPOS3DLY A A DRMATICALY DIF3RANT DIERCTION FOR NATSCAEP IS IN DA WORKS 2!1!!! OMG WTF

New direction?

[chinton]

Supposedly a 'a dramatically different direction' for Netscape is in the works, too."

Active development?

Not News

[cbelt3]

This is NOT news. AOL's been allowing this for at least a year or so. Just via a weird port (587?). I set it up on my Mac a month ago after reading about it on dealmac. Even sets up a nice little "SPAM" folder so I don't have to carefully save and pore over those letters from that poor Nigerian guy who is lost in space.