(FORTUNE Magazine) – In this era of technological obsession, it's easy to forget that tens of millions of Americans are still not plugged into the Internet. But every so often you get a personal reminder--for example, when in-laws, parents, or neighbors ask you to help them join the 21st century. There's a risk, of course. Trying to help puts your techno-savvy reputation on the line, and you are well aware that matters relating to computers don't always go smoothly.

For years, I played it safe: I recommended America Online to people who asked how they should get their feet wet on the Internet. Sure, AOL has never been trendy among the propeller heads. Having "aol.com" in your e-mail address was a sign you didn't belong among the techno-elite. But then, AOL (which recently agreed to acquire Time Warner, parent company of FORTUNE's publisher) was never interested in technological sophisticates. AOL Chairman Steve Case understood that the mass market included a lot of people who didn't know RAM from ROM. They just wanted to get connected, send and receive e-mail, and browse the Internet. As a result, AOL's software was easy to install at a time when the rest of the computer world was still asking you to set "stop" and "start" bits, pick a "com port," and make decisions about other technical arcana.

Perhaps because of AOL's huge success in capturing the largest number of online customers (20 million), the high-tech world has finally come to see the appeal of an easy connection. Microsoft includes a get connected icon on its Windows desktop, which launches an Internet "wizard" that (no surprise here) pushes you smoothly toward using the Microsoft Network--enough to make a novice user as frustrated as an antitrust regulator. Services such as AT&T WorldNet have simplified their installation process, but they still just leave you at the front door of the Internet and assume you know how to use a browser--which may not be true for a beginner.

For a look at the current state of connecting to the Internet--especially for neophytes--I decided to install the latest version of AOL's software, AOL 5.0, and equivalent software from EarthLink, which happens to be named EarthLink 5.0. Since it bought MindSpring last year, EarthLink has become the largest independent Internet service provider in the U.S.

AOL and EarthLink both charge about $22 per month for an account that serves multiple family members. Both offer easy installation (on PCs and Macs), which is made even simpler by extensive use of voice-overs. Tech companies have learned that novice users often don't look at the screen for instructions. So a friendly narrator tells you what's coming up and how to respond. EarthLink even includes a predictably annoying cartoon character to "assist" in the process. Thankfully, the character disappears once you've finished installing the software.

Like AOL, EarthLink shields you from the dirty details of technology. You're asked to provide your name, address, and area code (so the service can find a local number for you to use when you log on) and a credit card for charges (you can also give them this info by phone, but trust me--that's not any safer than typing the number in). The only technical question I encountered came when the EarthLink software inquired whether I wanted to use my PC's modem or its built-in network adapter to connect. (This question didn't arise when I used a PC without a network adapter.) Once you've filled in all your data, each service asks you to plug the PC into a phone line. The PC dials out and registers your account. You've officially joined the Internet Age.

AOL is often criticized for operating a private network and not being part of the "real Internet." For example, AOL mail conforms to its own standard, not the widely used protocols for Net mail. Also, many of AOL's sites are contained within its own network, not out on the Web in the standard HTML language.

But this protectionism helps make AOL easy to use. The newly designed opening screen offers a convenient list of options down one side, leaving the central WELCOME screen free for news items, AOL pitches, and customized information. AOL has lots of good content and is intuitively organized, albeit in a way that forces you through layers of icons and menus.

EarthLink, which uses standard Internet protocols, is also conveniently laid out. It adds a tool bar to your desktop with a half-dozen icons for the key functions: connecting, e-mail, browsing, chatting, etc. The Internet home page offers customizable tabs for categories such as finance and news. This service also gives users six megabytes of online storage, accessible through a simple utility called Webspace. Sidecar, another neat application, provides running headlines in news, sports, and other categories.

Now that ISPs such as EarthLink have just about caught up in convenience, AOL's principal advantage consists of proprietary features such as instant messaging and chat rooms only for AOL users.

My biggest complaint is junk mail. AOL has fought some well-publicized battles with direct mail "spammers," but my AOL box still fills up with unwanted solicitations, some of them clearly not suitable for children. Fortunately, you can set up accounts for kids that will filter some or all their e-mail. Both services let you add up to seven users to a single account, although only one can be online at a time.

Unfortunately, I've also found that downloading Web material via AOL can be a lot slower than using an ISP like EarthLink--probably because it's a two-step process through AOL's own private network. And EarthLink (like other ISPs) offers the possibility of high-speed access if you have, say, an ISDN line or a high-speed cable connection. Presumably, one objective of AOL's merger with Time Warner (the country's largest cable operator) was to address that problem. So when that call for help comes, AOL is still a safe bet, but EarthLink is a good alternative.

COMMENTS? TIPS? QUESTIONS? jdreyfuss@fortunemail.com