How can I stick with Classic Yahoo?
November 2, 2011 8:11 AM   Subscribe

Yahoo is forcing users to upgrade from Yahoo Classic, but I want to keep my old "Classic" Yahoo account as it was. Is this possible?

For the last month or so, each time I logged into my Yahoo account it was via a screen which urged me in big letters to upgrade my account. The benefits were, as far as I could tell, speed and a new look. I don't want either, and am hugely irritated by the fact that each new version of software (Microsoft Office, most email providers etc.) forces me to adapt to a new look, to hunt around for new placements of old functions and the like. In fact, I have kept Yahoo as my only emailing account precisely because it allowed me to stick with the old version.

With this most recent Yahoo upgrade, I was able to go to the old Classic version - a link in small print on the upgrade page. Until today - the option to stay with Yahoo as it was seems to have vanished.

Does anyone know if Classic Yahoo is still accessible from anywhere? If yes, are there major disadvantages to not upgrading? Or major disadvantages to upgrading, beyond my own reluctance to re-adapt each time someone issues new versions of software?

Thank you very much.
posted by miorita to Computers & Internet (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I know, the new Mail is ugly as hell and stupid. This is the way I found to fix it: Disable javascript in your browser, then go log into yahoo. The new Mail doesn't work without javascript. It will give you two options: Downgrade to Old Mail "just this once" or downgrade permanently. I did this about a week ago and it hasn't reconverted me yet.
posted by bleep at 8:16 AM on November 2, 2011


You might want to check out this thread at Broadband Reports.
posted by buggzzee23 at 8:18 AM on November 2, 2011


Yeah, it's horrible isn't it?
I managed to return to Classic Yahoo by using an unsupported browser (Midori) and got the options that bleep outlines. Every time I log-on (whatever the browser) I get a nag screen asking if I'm absolutely certain I don't want to upgrade, but other than that it's OK.
Long-term I'm not sure what the prospects are for Classic though.
posted by SyntacticSugar at 8:23 AM on November 2, 2011


Response by poster: Thank you so much, I have tried what bleep suggested, and it works! SyntacticSugar is right though, we will have to see how long it lasts...

Thank you buggzzee23 as well for that link, I'll keep that alternative in mind as well - also, seems to be a great source of info on a number of things.

I was also wondering if anyone else had more than the usual trouble with their Classic Yahoo account this past month. The issues: having to go back to the main Yahoo page as an intermediary step when trying to switch between folders, or after sending an email, or when hitting reply etc. - essentially, after performing any kind of action in my account (the screen would just go blank, and I would have to "come back in" off the main page. This has happened in the past, quite rarely, but it became the norm during this month. This is why I was wondering if anyone knew of any problems with keeping to the Classic version.

Thanks again for your replies, and thank you for helping me stay stuck in my rut on this one!
posted by miorita at 8:36 AM on November 2, 2011


I've not noticed any problems, well, no more than usual. Degrading performance for Classic users might be a sneaky way to get them to upgrade I suppose. I'm assuming this change in the T&Cs is one of the reasons for the push to the new version (hint:targeted advertising.)
posted by SyntacticSugar at 8:50 AM on November 2, 2011


I use this, which I have bookmarked, to log in and I get old yahoo/no prompt to upgrade.
posted by jaruwaan at 8:11 PM on November 2, 2011


And to answer your later questions, no, I am not noticing any problems such as those you mention with classic.
posted by jaruwaan at 8:13 PM on November 2, 2011


Response by poster: So it seems noone else has seen the same escalation of problems - might be my location, or maybe I need a new computer.

Thank you again to everyone who answered - I have marked bleep's as best answer, because it was the first I tried and it worked. I'm happy to have a few back-up plans thanks to you.

There was another comment before jaruwaan's which has since disappeared - the gist of it was that the amount of trouble I take avoiding the new Yahoo might come to exceed the amount of trouble it would take to get used to it. This might well turn out to be the case (it's what happened with all my other points of resistence, after all), but still, I feel so much more computer literate just going through your replies ... So thanks again.
posted by miorita at 10:25 AM on November 3, 2011


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