Every time we post a story bashing AOL, Gawker overlord Nick Denton forgets that he fired us the day before. So our jobs should be safe for at least a few days now that we can share the news that PC World has given AOL the prestigious prize of the worst tech product of all time:

“AOL succeeded initially by targeting newbies, using brute-force marketing techniques. In the 90s you couldn’t open a magazine (PC World included) or your mailbox without an AOL disk falling out of it. This carpet-bombing technique yielded big numbers: At its peak, AOL claimed 34 million subscribers worldwide, though it never revealed how many were just using up their free hours.

Once AOL had you in its clutches, escaping was notoriously difficult. Several states sued the service, claiming that it continued to bill customers after they had requested cancellation of their subscriptions.”

Other ignominious winners? RealPlayer, Windows ME, Sony BMG and 21 other crappy products.

The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time [PC World]