AOL
AOL is an American internet company, originally called America Online, that became known for its dial-up service, web portal, and email.
Control Video Corporation: The company founded in 1983 that developed the online service later known as America Online. AOL began as this company, which launched the service Quantum Link.
Dial-up Internet access: Internet access delivered over telephone lines using a modem to establish a temporary connection. AOL's signature access service connected home computers through ordinary phone lines.
Web portal: A website that gathers links, information, and services as an entry point to the wider web. AOL's portal organized news, search, email, and entertainment for its subscribers.
CompuServe: An early American online service offering email, discussion forums, and information before the web became widespread. CompuServe competed for the same early subscribers but followed a different service model.
Quantum Link: An online service for Commodore 64 users launched by Control Video Corporation in 1985. This predecessor established the subscription-service model that America Online expanded.
Modem: A device that modulates and demodulates signals to transmit digital data over a communications channel. A modem converted computer data into signals carried by AOL users' telephone connections.
AOL.com: The website and online portal operated by AOL. It carried the portal model into the open web after dial-up's decline.
Prodigy (online service): A consumer online service launched in the United States in 1988 by IBM and Sears. Prodigy was a major rival in the market AOL later dominated.
Steve Case: An American entrepreneur who led America Online through its rise as a major internet company. As AOL's chief executive, he shaped its expansion and major corporate deals.
Internet service provider: A company that provides customers access to the internet and related services. AOL combined internet connectivity with software, content, and customer support.