Why 14Forums Was Created

It All Started With a Misplaced File

Sometime after the new millennium arrived, I visited AOL's Software Search area to re-download a file I misplaced only to find out that AOL disabled its entire file search function. And though I was shocked to see one of my favorite places was no longer functional, I was sure I could download the file from a couple of forums to which the file was uploaded.

So I searched those forums from window to window, folder to folder, link to link. I even searched forums that weren't even relevant to the file ... all of which were to no avail.

It was during that search I noticed AOL disabled a lot more than its Software Search area. Message boards were gone, scheduled chats were dead, and forum hosts were nowhere to be found. Even AOL's chat rooms, once filled to the max with people with too much to say, were blessed with 0 visitors and a computerized online host. What remains, in fact, is basically just a shell of what AOL used to be, like some sort of weird reminder of what "was", but no longer "is."

So I started saving a few things that I previously neglected to download because I trusted they would always be accessible. And as I progressed through various forums, I ran into more and more disabled areas. Instead of being greeted with the welcoming text that AOL was heckled for, I was barred from this area and that area with various messages like "You do not have access to this area." or "This area is no longer available on America Online."

Source: AOL (America Online)

At this point, I figured I'd better save as much AOL material I could in the event access to the entire service is shut down. 14Forums is the result of that effort, and I'm sharing it with you. Maybe you want to find a misplaced a file too, or maybe you just want to see what AOL looked like before all of its content is destroyed in some indefensible, binary blaze of glory. Whatever your particular loss is, hopefully it can be recovered from this blog.

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