Mac Daniel's Advice

Improving AOL 5.0

Evan Kleiman - 2001.03.09

Q. I've been using AOL 5.0 for awhile now, and I'm starting to get tired of it. All of my PC friends are using the new AOL 6.0, and it has way more features than my AOL 5.0 does. Is there any way to make AOL 5.0 for the Mac any better?

A. Yes, it seems that AOL has been totally gypping their Mac users. The Windows users have AOL 6.0 already, which has many improved features and new features compared to AOL 5.0 for Mac, and it doesn't look like we'll be receiving AOL 6.0 any time soon. What do we do in the meantime? Well, we try to make due with what we have - by making it better.

One of the most vexing problems with AOL 5.0 is that its browser is painfully slow, not to mention very unstable. However, what some people don't know is that you can use any browser with AOL. All you need to do is sign on like normal, then switch to the Finder and launch your favorite browser. You can even use your favorite copy of Lynx or Netscape 1.5!

Another problem is one that inconveniences many people. When you write emails, instant messages, etc., when you go to choose a color for your font or background, you're presented with only 25 color choices, most of which don't even match! But this problem is solvable, too, and you can add many different colors. however, it does require some work and using ResEdit.

First, open any program such as Internet Explorer (preferably a browser) that you can use to copy it's colors in ResEdit. (If you don't have ResEdit, you can get it by clicking here.) Once you have the program open, you'll see a screen with many different icons. Pick the one that says "clut" and double click it.

Next, a window will pop up that has a few lines in it. Each line is a different color pallet. Pick the one you like best and double-click it to open it. Now that it's open, select all (command-a) and copy it to the clip board. You're done with your donor application, so you can close all of it's windows. Now, it's time to give AOL a color transplant.

First, open AOL in ResEdit. Then open the "clut" resource, like you did with Internet Explorer (or whatever your donor application was). You'll then see a line that says AOL Colors. Double-click this, and a window will open up, select all again, and instead of copying the colors, paste them in. You should see your new color pallet appear. If it does, you're all done! Just save the program, start up AOL, and see your new and improved color choices.

These small tricks might not really help out AOL that much, but it can still make your everyday AOL use more enjoyable - or at least bearable until AOL 6.0 is finally released for the Mac.

Evan Kleiman has been writing for Low End Mac since January 1999. He also runs his own site, Evansite. Evan uses an iMac, along with some vintage hardware. You can read more about his computing experience in The Many Macs of Evan Kleiman.

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