I've used AOL and I despised it, but at the time, it was really only one of the few options in dial-up internet. Back then, I didn't go online unless I really wanted to, and I didn't close the browser window unless I was totally done taking care of everything, because when you signed off, you were looking at having to sign in again, which took 5-10 minutes sometimes. Not to mention AOL was slow, only connected like half of the time, and it felt very clunky and crappy.

I've used OptimumOnline, which isn't bad. And I'm currently using Verizon (only switched because it ended up being cheaper than Optimum), which seems to be alright. I can't really complain about slowness or dropped connections.

I'm not crazy about proprietary software, because you never know what spyware and data-mining junk they have in there. I understand why it's sometimes necessary, but loading it up with spyware is a pretty bad betrayal to your customers who want nothing to do with that stuff.