By Gary Kirchherr
April Fools' Day will be anything but a day of merriment for tens of thousands of Macintosh computer users.
eWorld, Apple Computer's proprietary, Macintosh-only online service, will cease to exist. The beleaguered computer-maker is throwing in the towel so that its new management team can direct its energy on more immediate concerns - namely, how to undo the damage of more than a decade of incompetent CEOs.
As an eWorld subscriber, I am sorry to see it go. eWorld is as easy to use as America Online - not surprising, given that eWorld licenses its software from AOL. The difference between them is in the respective online environments they cultivated. eWorld is small, friendly, responsive. AOL, on the other hand, has continual "art" downloads on your dime; frequent advertisements on startup; volunteer "guides" who have absolute authority to reprimand chat-room visitors for any infraction, real or imagined; and member-created chat rooms that can politely be described as Sodom and Gomorrah Online. AOL's member "profiles" are worthless because users can give themselves up to five separate identities - any name, age, and gender they wish.
And what does America Online have to do with the soon-to-be-former eWorld? Well, now that Apple is getting out of the online-services business, it's getting into bed with AOL in a big way. eWorld is encouraging its members to move to its former competitor, which in turn is offering 20 free hours (instead of the usual 10) to eWorld alumni.
Well, as Archie Bunker would say, whoop-dee-doo. eWorld's ex-members may not have any problem figuring out how to use AOL's software. But they may not understand why they're threatened with the loss of their account for saying "crap" while dozens of their fellow AOL members are freely exchanging "teen GIFs." Frankly, I'm disappointed in Apple for steering its loyal eWorld customers to this trashy service.
Assuming that the Macatawa Area Free-Net's latest rash of system problems is indeed resolved, the board needs to direct its energy to its users who are taking advantage of this free service to make a quick buck. I'm increasingly annoyed with MAFN members who use their personal Web pages to promote their respective businesses. Other servers don't permit commercial use of personal Web sites, and with reason. Those who browse the list of MAFN members' home pages shouldn't be subjected to ads for Web-page creation services, or Chinese gifts for all occasions.
The make-a-buck-off-MacNet craze isn't confined to a few Web-page authors. A topic of discussion on the MacNet-only newsgroup mafn.general has been a computer store's charging $25 for Macintosh Internet software. The controversy centers on the fact that the software is itself free. The $25 apparently is to cover the cost of putting the software on a floppy disk, and providing hard-copy instructions on installing it and technical support if needed.
Some people may be so anxious to take advantage of free online access that they may be willing to pay for software that doesn't cost anything. But I doubt they could as easily rationalize giving a store $145 for a 14.4-Kbps fax modem, when the exact same modem is available through mail-order catalogs for $90 to $100. For $145, you're about $15 bucks shy of a reputable 28.8-Kbps fax modem through the mail.
The lesson here is not to buy anything computer-related on blind faith. Hey - it's your money.