When we think about using the internet in the 1990s, there’s one specific sound that comes to mind. You can’t really describe it in writing but you can surely recreate it with your voice. In fact, I hear it in my head right now. It’s that infamous screaming from dial-up, which used to tie up your phone so you could hop on the web. Was the connection speed great? No. Was it enough for your message boards and chat room activities? Sure. Even though much of the world has moved on to high-speed internet, AOL’s dial-up service did indeed stay around and will come to an end on September 30.

Yes, there are people who are still using dial-up in 2025 for several reasons. For some older folks, it was a matter of not wanting to let go of a service they’ve had for decades. AOL dial-up started back in

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