I think the analogy is about being the sole portal and walled garden, rather than a browser. For a long time AOL didn't have the browser, just internal content

I think the analogy is about being the sole portal and walled garden, rather than a browser. For a long time AOL didn't have the browser, just internal content. It morphed from online for the leaders to internet for grandma and grandpa. Going too much beyond this will break the analogy.