AOL OpenRide was an Internet

application suite A software suite (also known as an application suite) is a collection of computer programs (application software, or programming software) of related functionality, sharing a similar user interface and the ability to easily exchange data with each ...

made by AOL from 2006, combining

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, instant-messaging, a

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and a media player in one window. The suite was available for free download, but an AOL or AIM screenname was required to access some features.

Layout

The main program interface was divided into four mini-windows, called panes: *The People pane enabled users to sign into

AOL Instant Messenger AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) was an instant messaging and presence computer program created by AOL, which used the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. AIM w ...

to display the user's buddy list and conversations. *The E-mail pane was a standard email client. It was not restricted to just AOL email, but allowed users to add email accounts from other providers. *The web browser pane ran AOL Explorer, which used the

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rendering engine with extra features such as

tabbed browsing In interface design, a tab is a graphical user interface object that allows multiple documents or panels to be contained within a single window, using tabs as a navigational widget for switching between sets of documents. It is an interface s ...

. *The media pane provided access to AOL's collection of videos, the Radio@AOL service, and featured a media player for files on the user's local hard drive.

Termination

In late May 2007, having been available for less than six months, AOL removed AOL OpenRide from their official download page, but continued to support it on the help page. In late July 2007, it was announced that AOL OpenRide would be replaced by "AOL Helix", subsequently renamed AOL Desktop, which incorporates most of AOL OpenRide's features, but not the Dynasizer, the multi-pane layout, or OpenRide's Media Center. From December 2007, users were no longer able to log into the AOL network with the OpenRide application to use Email/IM, and were instead logged out and referred to the AOL Desktop download page.

References

External links

Review of OpenRide by PC World
Windows web browsers 2006 software Discontinued internet suites AOL {{web-software-stub