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I don't know of any sources that detail AOL constraints, but I can tell you what
I've found. We use AOL at home (we like the kid controls). I frequently view
sites I create at work from home and rarely encounter problems. My first
recommendation would be to clarify what the precise problems are when they view
the site on AOL.
Here's what I have found:
1. The standard 4.0 AOL browser is clunky. (I've heard that it is IE with a
little customization, but I don't have any evidence to support that.) It takes
up more real estate than either IE or Netscape. (Wide button area on top of
screen.) Hence, you need to design for a slightly smaller display area. If your
client's product is going to be viewed by AOL customers, it's probably a good
idea to keep that in mind. There are still plenty of home users with smaller
monitors. (Don't even ask about pages designed to run on AOL's homepages, they
get about a 3 x 5 bit of real estate in which the actual pages can be
displayed.)
2. AOL 4.0 allows you to minimize AOL and use Netscape, except for the netscape
mailer. Most AOL users don't realize they can do that, though. They also have to
download Netscape separately from AOL, so they may not have installed it.
3. I have not run into any problems using CGI, javascript, etc. If it works on
IE and Netscape, it works for me on AOL. Of course, I'm not doing anything
really fancy, but then designing for the two big guys eliminates a lot of fancy
stuff anyway.
4. Graphics transmitted via AOL email from or to a different browser
(particularly mime systems) are frequently corrupted. If we need to transfer
graphics, we use hotmail. Graphics display fine on AOL when viewing web pages,
however. I have not encountered any color problems, but I do use a browser-safe
color palette.
5. Are they looking at the AOL browser from somebody's home rather than a
business with a high-speed connection? They may be reacting to typical home
phone line/ISP connection speeds rather than display issues. There are plenty of
sites I won't access from home. I have a 58K modem, but my US Worst phone line
only provides 26K service. Their response is tough luck, buy a modem line at $55
per month. Sorry, I'll stick to sites that accommodate my connection speed.
There isn't anything out there to see that's worth another $55 a month to me.
6. Is it a version issue or a browser issure. I can't comment on the previous
versions of AOL, but that may be part of the problem. I seem to remember they
were clunkier and more prone to problems. What versions of IE/Netscape are you
designing for? If you're designing for version 4.0 on those, I'd say you're
also looking at an AOL 4.0 requirement. Version 4.0 on any browser may be a
problem, if your client is going after the home market.
