There’s a new beta build (OS X 14b) of the AOL for Mac OS X software that “brings us closer to the final version,” according to the Mac Beta Team at America Online.
To download it, go to AOL and stop by Keyword: Beta. However, note that AOL for Mac OS X can only connect to AOL via methods supported by the next generation operating system itself. Serial or USB modems that Mac OS X doesn’t recognize can’t be used. However, Airport and Ethernet cards are supported.
To test drive the AOL beta, you’ll need a Mac that originally came with a G3 or G4 microprocessor (third party accelerator cards are not supported) that has 128MB RAM or more. Currently, only Apple internal modems and a limited number of Lucent Technologies chipset based USB modems are supported. Or you can utilize a pre-existing connection to the Internet via a Mac OS X supported Ethernet or Airport card. You’ll need at least 30MB of available space on a Mac OS Extended formatted partition. Installation onto Unix File System (UFS) or Linux File System formatted partitions is neither recommended nor supported. (Thanks to MacCentral reader David Schloss for the heads-up on this one.)