Waiting for Coates: anti-social software

Dear Old Skool Account-Holding Flickr Member,

On March 15th we’ll be discontinuing the old email-based Flickr sign in system. From that point on, everyone will have to use a Yahoo! ID to sign in to Flickr.

email received from Yahoo today

Flickr is taking a beating in two key forums right now over their decision today to force “old skool” flickr users to merge with Yahoo accounts and new limits on both number of contacts and tags allowed on Flickr. Check out some of the quotes here

Flickr Users Are Mad as Hell About Today’s Yahoo News, Digg

There’s Some Mighty Pissed Off Flickr Members Right Now, Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection

Now, I didn’t want a Yahoo Id just to carry on using a service in the way I was using it when I decided to pay money for it. Let’s see what Flickr says:

In our ongoing efforts to Make Flickr Better^TM, we’re introducing two additional limits: the new maximum number of contacts is 3,000 contacts (good luck with that), and each photo on Flickr can have a maximum of 75 tags.

Flickr News

But wait a bit, let’s take another look at that email Yahoo sent me today:

Nothing else on your account or experience of Flickr
changes:

Er: we’re introducing two additional limits says Yahoo and Nothing else on your account or experience of Flickr changes says Yahoo. On the same day.

I don’t have photos with 75 tags. I don’t have 3,000 contacts. But I didn’t pay my money to Yahoo and I don’t want to have to have a Yahoo ID to use my Flickr account. Just don’t.

Just in case you weren’t pissed-off enough,

I’m going to delete my Yahoo! account. What happens to my Flickr photos?
If you associated your Flickr account with your Yahoo! ID and you delete your Yahoo! account, you won’t be able to sign in to your Flickr account. And all your photos will be deleted.

sign-in FAQs

Prize for the most disingenuous comment I’ve read so far goes to Flickr’s daddy: