________________________________It’s official: AOL’s dial-up internet has taken its last bow. While AOL was the largest dial-up internet provider for some time, it wasn’t the only one to emerge over the years. Before it was America Online, AOL was founded as Quantum Computer Services in 1985. After a disastrous merger with Time Warner Inc., Verizon acquired AOL — which later sold AOL, along with Yahoo, to a private equity firm. But beyond dial-up, AOL continues to offer its free email services, as well as subscriptions that advertise identity protection and other tech support.