That’s the response that Yahoo! (the owners of popular Web 2.0 photo sharing site Flickr) were greeted with when they announced that they would be forcing a merging of Flickr accounts with Yahoo! accounts.
Users who joined Flickr before its acquisition in March 2005 are known as ‘old skool’ users, and they use the original Flickr accounts to login, rather than the Yahoo! accounts used for those who joined after the acquisition. Old skool status is heavily valued in the community, and successive Yahoo! attempts to force migration from ‘old school’ accounts to Yahoo! accounts has attracted much controversy.
The migration of accounts is not a technical issue; Old skool members will keep their buddy name and are not forced to use any other Yahoo! services. Given that this is the case, it perhaps seems illogical that there is such a backlash. One old skool user’s view is in a post by Thomas Hawk, a keen Flickr user (and also CEO of a rival service).
Raj Parmer writes “I do not like the way Yahoo impose in this manner. I am an old skool member (which I was in a way quite proud of) but when it becomes mandatory to sign up to Yahoo, I will have to delete all my pics and close my account down and join with one of the other similar services on the net.”
The problem seems to be two fold. Firstly, Flickr users simply don’t want to be forced to give up their ‘old skool’ account; they are proud to have been part of one of the archetypal Web 2.0 products before it hit the mainstream, and do not want to see their status lost.
Secondly, there appears to be a wider problem within the Flickr community, namely concern about the direction in which Yahoo! might change the nature of Flickr. Yahoo! recently announced that it would be making use of Flickr images in its new Brand Universe program, a move which has concerned some users, and other attempts to integrate Flickr further into Yahoo! products are likely to be met with concern.
Unlike the last time Yahoo! attempted to merge old skool accounts with Yahoo! accounts (when they bowed to pressure and relented), it appears that this time they are determined. There may be a small number of old skool users who delete their photos, but there will be no major exodus.
Huw Leslie is editor of UK-based Web 2.0 and software blog Gizbuzz, and the co-founder of technology blog network Oratos Media. His personal blog is For Crying Out Loud!
Casio has knocked out two additions to its pocket pleasing, ultra-slim Exilim Zoom range in the shape of the 10.1-megapixel EX-Z1050 and the 7.2 million pixel Exilim Zoom EX-Z75 cameras.
Onboard there’s Casio’s EXILIM Engine 2.0 offering new motion analysis technology, with the camera able to rattle off a claimed 7 shots per second until the memory tank hits full.
EXILIM Zoom EX-Z75
Hot off the factory presses are three new all-black models, all with distinctive and stylish looks.
The i7 packs a 7.2 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) technology, SVGA video, face recognition ISO 1600 and even an integrated MP3 player with simulated SRS 3D sound.
Pentax have announced two new slim-line cameras, the T30 and M30, both sporting 7 megapixel sensors and face detection.
With Digital SR you may manage to grab a low light photo without blur, but odds on it’ll look like it’s been taken in a noise snowstorm (which rather sounds like a death metal concert).
Optio M30
Exposure compensation +/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps
Clearly, Sony’s Memorable Product Name Division were all on an extended tea-break during development, with the new camcorders all bearing fiddly and instantly forgettable names: DCR-DVD106E, DCR-DVD109E, DCR-DVD306E, DCR-DVD406E and DCR-DVD506E.
The upmarket DVD406E and DVD506E models also offer ClearVid CMOS Sensor technology for sharper images, with the topdog DVD506E 6.1MP cam sporting a hefty 6.1 MP still camera and Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilisation
Pricing is also still to be confirmed.
Skinnier than an anorexic stick insect in need of a snack, Casio has unveiled what it claims is the “slimmest digital camera with a 7X optical zoom lens” in the known universe, the Exilim EX-V7.
This is backed up by some software wizardry which works out the speed and vector of a moving subject and then sets the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed automatically.
The EX-V7 comes with a 2.5-inch, 230k LCD screen, a max sensitivity of ISO 1600 (in High Sensitivity mode) and can take around 240 shots on a single charge of its Li-ion battery.
Samsung have gone new-camera bonkers, unleashing a veritable pack of seven new snappers, all set to be hitting the shelves this Spring.
Rather a sleek and seductive number in an all black finish with a saucy blue trim, the S1050 delivers impressive video functionality, managing to record movies up to 800 x 600 at a baby’s-bum-smooth 30fps.
First seen in 
Making up the septet of new snappers is the curious-looking i70, a multimedia-packed little fella with a sliding cover offering a
As with the F30, the 6.3 megapixel F31fd comes with a 3.0x optical zoom, super-high ISO 3200 sensitivity at full resolution, long-life battery (up to 580 shots), VGA movie recording up to 30 frames per second and Aperture & Shutter priority shooting plus a shedload of scene modes.
Capable of handling up to ten grinning faces in a frame, the technology should put an end to out of focus pictures, even when documenting a heavy night of quaffing in the old Bull and Bush.
The lack of real manual controls was a bit frustrating and we continue to find Fujifilm’s interface a little less intuitive than some of its rivals, but point’n’shooters should have no problem getting to grips with the camera.
Rock Bottom: Nikon D40 £400 (with lens)
Budget: Canon EOS E400D (£500 body-only)
Enthusiast: Nikon D80 (£600 body only)
Some clever-types at a Swedish company called Scalado have launched add-on software for mobile camera-phones that they say makes taking panoramic photos on a mobile a doddle.