Big news: Verizon is acquiring AOL in a $4.4 billion all-cash deal. AOL, which owns The Huffington Post, will contribute a massive media platform to the largest wireless company in the United States. It will also bring 2.2 million dial-up Internet subscribers.
In all likelihood, it's been a while since you were counted among them. But, if you're interested in a nostalgia trip, it's actually possible to get ancient America Online software running on a modern Windows computer.
A video from YouTube user Lazy Game Reviews published Sunday -- oddly prescient timing -- illustrates how to get 1998's America Online 4.0 to work on Windows 8.1. There are a couple of tricky steps required, though the video gives you a blow-by-blow.
If you're not interested in taking the deep dive, though, you can walk down memory lane with the tutorial. Lazy Game Reviews takes you through various sections of the America Online welcome screen, which is bound to evoke nostalgia for anyone who remembers "Buddy Chat" and "Kids Only."
For a bit more insight into America Online 4.0, check out this CNET article from 1998, which estimates that a "large" number of people -- 50,000 -- downloaded the beta version.