Many internet companies have come and gone in the last decade since the internet has been in existence. Here are a few notable ones.
Ask Jeeves:What it was: Powerful search engine for 10 years at the AskJeeves.com address. What happened?: The Ask Jeeves in existence for over 10 years now, but many Internet newbies found the AskJeeves.com domain name easy to misspell. At one point, Jeeves was proclaimed to be the most often misspelled search engine on the Internet (Wordtracker reports that the misspelling “Geeves” still gets thousands of queries each day). In 2001 the company shortened its name and did away with its butler mascot to merely become “Ask.com.” When you just ask Jeeves a question these days you actually aren’t asking “Jeeves” anything. What you ARE doing is using a powerful search engine that built its name and reputation on delivering answers to questions asked in natural, everyday language. The other main difference–and one Ask hopes will make it stand out from the crowd–is its stance on ads. The message is clear: Fewer ads displayed above search results reinforces the company’s position as a serious search engine. AOL:What it was/is: AOL has a long history on the internet, being one of the first companies to really get people online. Throughout its lifespan, it has been involved with a number of high profile acquisitions, perhaps the largest of which was the 1999 acquisition of the Netscape Communications Corporation. Netscape was known to many as the leader in web browsing, and had developed a number of complementary pieces of software that allowed for a rich suite of internet tools. During its peak years, AOL had 34 million members and was worth $200 billion. Netscape:What it was: Netscape was the original internet browser (like your Internet Explorer or Firefox of today). Netscape advertised that “the web is for everyone” and stated one of its goals as to “level the playing field” among operating systems by providing a consistent web browsing experience across them. The Netscape (web~internet} browser interface was identical on any computer. What happened: Netscape’s web browser was once dominant in terms of usage share but lost most of that share to Internet Explorer. By the end of 2006, the usage share of Netscape browsers had fallen, from over 90% in the mid 1990s, to less than 1%. The Netscape brand is still extensively used by AOL. Some services currently offered under the Netscape brand, other than the web browser, include a discount Internet service provider and a popular social news website. In December 2007, AOL announced it would no longer be updating the Netscape browser. |
Do not do business with 1and1. They are the worst excuse for a domain registrar I have ever dealt with, and I have accounts with most of the major providers.
I did not go looking for a 1and1 account. In November, I bought a bulk lot of domain names from a 1and1 client, so I had to set up an account to accept the domains.
Now, normally a domain name transfer can be accomplished in hours if there you know what you are doing. I will admit that this involved 270+ domains, so I would expect some extra time. I think a week would not be unreasonable.
It took 1and1 over a month. During that month, neither the seller nor I had any access to any of the domains. We could not mange them in any way. They were effectively nonexistent. 1and1 never made any attempt to update us on the status unless we sent a specific request, and every time they just said they were having difficulties and were working on it.
Then, before the domains ever got transferred, they billed me for domains that expired during their transfer difficulties. Keep in mind that I bought 270+ domains. I had no intention of keeping all of them. Some I am developing, some I am selling, and others are worth neither, so I am just letting them expire.
I had no ability to cancel the ones I did not want, because they were not transferred to me yet!
I have sent dozens of requests for resolution of this to everyone I can find at 1and1. I have been lied to, put off, given the runaround, and basically treated like scum; all because they cannot keep their own business straight.
This is just a short blurb for clients who check this website. I posted the whole sordid affair at http://RippedOffConsumers.org. Pages and pages of proof that 1and1 is incompetent and dishonest.
