AOL 7.0 leaked to the Web
Friday June 01 08:14 AM EDT
news.yahoo.com
By Craig Newell, Special to eWEEK, eWEEK
Some Web surfers got a sneak peek at an internal alpha edition of
Version 7.0 of America Online Inc.'s client software Wednesday when
it was made available for download from several Web sites devoted to
AOL software and insider information.
AOL quickly blocked the software from
signing on to the service, but not before a
significant number of people were able to
log in and take screen shots of the
software.
What these users saw were changes to the
ubiquitous "Welcome Screen" and Buddy
List features. Other than those areas, most
of the interface appeared to be identical to AOL 6.0.
One feature not in the alpha is the much-hyped Komodo browser module, which would allow AOL
members to use third-party Internet browsers, such as one from Netscape, instead of Microsoft
Corp.'s (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) Internet Explorer. (Huh?)
As with all alpha editions of software, there may be many more additional features and changes to the
software before it is released to the public.
Coming this summer
AOL 7.0, code named Taz, has been the source of rumors and speculation for several months. Internal
AOL documents have indicated that Taz will be released in August barring any unforeseen technical
issues. Taz is also expected to feature the Komodo browser engine by the time it reaches beta testing.
At the same time, AOL, of Vienna, Va., is working on several other initiatives, including a client
code-named Steppenwolf designed for use with Windows XP (news - web sites), the next version of
Microsoft's client operating system due this fall. (Steppenwolf is currently in beta testing, available for
AOL members at Keyword: Beta.)
AOL is reportedly in negotiations with Microsoft to have the Steppenwolf client bundled with
Windows XP.
This isn't the first time alpha versions of AOL clients have escaped the company's control. In April, an
alpha version of CompuServe 2000 with Netscape as the internal browser was discovered. Before
AOL 6.0 was sent to beta testers, alpha versions of that software were available on the Web for a
period of time before AOL sued the sites for copyright infringement.
AOL did not return several requests for comment by press time. |
