Stop press. New features abound in the new AOL v. 5.0, but you may find that in downloading the new version you will lose your connection to the Internet. If you have an AOL account and a separate dial up account with another Internet Service Provider, the new AOL 5.0 may disable your Internet connections. The culprit appears to be the AOL TCP/IP adapter installed by AOL 5.0. In some instances, it may establish itself as the default network adapter and disable any DNS settings required to connect to an ISP. Follow the story with Internet News.

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AOL Version 5.0 Is Released With Customization In Mind

Since many accounting professionals use AOL as their source to the Internet, it should be noted that, after months of semi-public beta testing, America Online (AOL) has released AOL 5.0.

The latest version boasts several new features and a new AOL search engine. Subscribers also are greeted with a redesigned Welcome screen that features icons for new services, including "My Calendar," "My Places" and "You've Got Pictures." And, you can still read the news and weather stories on the new Welcome screen.

The key to AOL 5.0 is customization. The new services are designed to give subscribers the ability to do anything via the Internet and AOL's wired world, from receiving virtual rolls of film in your e-mail account to loading your personal calendar with a regional and national event database. For those who are looking for updated functions, improvements have been made in the area of screen names and e-mail handling.

Note that the new version does need 8MB more hard disk space than AOL 4.0, but the consensus seems to be that the new features are well worth the space.