Changes to "My Yahoo", looking for alternatives

[target2019]

Since they announced it is going away next year, no thanks...

Don't take my iGoogle away! | ZDNet

I can understand why regular users would not want to lose the home page.

For Google, they want to move you to the Chrome browser, so that you don't use the other browsers to access the home page. They could very well lose many users of the free email accounts. From time to time every large tech company seems to shoot first, and ask questions later.

 

[REWahoo]

From time to time every large tech company seems to shoot first, and ask questions later.

+1

As much shooting as they do you have to wonder why they keep aiming at their feet...

 

[CH]

I can understand why regular users would not want to lose the home page.

For Google, they want to move you to the Chrome browser, so that you don't use the other browsers to access the home page. They could very well lose many users of the free email accounts. From time to time every large tech company seems to shoot first, and ask questions later.

The Google Chrome browser is fast and memory efficient, and it is designed to directly interface with the various other Google products. What's wrong with that? Like I said previously, the whole product suite (including the Android phones) work so well together.

 

[target2019]

The Google Chrome browser is fast and memory efficient, and it is designed to directly interface with the various other Google products. What's wrong with that? Like I said previously, the whole product suite (including the Android phones) work so well together.

What's wrong with that? You can't block ads as well as in Firefox.

 

[Surfdaddy]

Me too

Me too. My entire set of holdings used to display in MY desired order, now it is suddenly alphabetical by symbol. Which means it is a royal pain to update my spreadsheet. Funny how on the customization page it is STILL in my desired order, it just doesn't display that way.

 

[tapper]

Me too. My entire set of holdings used to display in MY desired order, now it is suddenly alphabetical by symbol. Which means it is a royal pain to update my spreadsheet. Funny how on the customization page it is STILL in my desired order, it just doesn't display that way.

I make use of GETQUOTE (GetQuote: About) to grab quotes for my spreadsheet and it works well. I have cells with a formula such as =IF($A$6="Fetch",GETQUOTE(B4),"") where B4 contains the fund symbol and $A$6 controls whether the quote is fetched at all. I then do a Paste Special of the fetched quotes to a different area in my spreadsheet and change $A$6 back to "Don't Fetch" so when I open the spreadsheet next time it does not try grabbing quotes and therefore delay the opening of the spreadsheet.

As for Yahoo, it you click on your portfolio name then the browser goes to the portfolio page which lists your funds in your desired order. I had to reorder mine but the order sticks.

I tried google finance but it fails to return the correct fund for VXUS. It returns Vanguard STAR Funds Inc (VGSTX) instead of Vanguard Total Intl Stock Idx ETF. I sent them a notice of the error several days ago but have not heard back.

 

[rescueme]

I just came upon this thread and checked my various portfolios on Yahoo.

They don't have the problems (I think) that others observe.

I have them in the sequence I want, which I changed around using the edit function. I also unchecked the block "Sort positions alphabetically by symbol" under "Advanced Settings". Also, click on the "More Details" (underlined link) to see how option changes can be used to control your display as you wish.

BTW, I also have $$ entries to break down my subgroups within the same display, for things such as listing rollover IRA, TIRA, and Roth IRA's, but allowing an overall total for the entire portfolio.

Also, I applied all changes on the "Performance" tab that I use for my display.

Just a bit of input what I have found while working with the new format.

 

[CH]

What's wrong with that? You can't block ads as well as in Firefox.

May have been true at one time, I don't know, but it is easy to block ads in Chrome. Read this: How to Block Ads in Google Chrome

Don't be so set in your ways that you are clinging to old solutions and turning your back on the best technology available...and for free.

 

[MichaelB]

Don't know about the alphabetizing of stock symbols, but I'd guess the reason behind allowing only one portfolio expanded at a time is to force open more real estate for ads...

I've noticed now a similar issue with the movie / theaters section. It previously displayed all the films and showtimes playing in the theaters I selected, now it is another closed button that needs to be opened. You may be correct, they are freeing screen space to display more ads. There ain't no such thing as free...

The discussion Google is interesting but "new technology" isn't helpful if it doesn't deliver the functionality we need, regardless of how cool it is.

 

[target2019]

May have been true at one time, I don't know, but it is easy to block ads in Chrome. Read this: How to Block Ads in Google Chrome

Don't be so set in your ways that you are clinging to old solutions and turning your back on the best technology available...and for free.

Adblock Plus. Sure and simple.

I don't accept your admonishment either. I use three browsers since I support all types of technical environments, and many types of users. Chrome is not the best technology. It's one of several browsers, and is useful in some situations, but less useful in other situations.

 

[target2019]

I've noticed now a similar issue with the movie / theaters section. It previously displayed all the films and showtimes playing in the theaters I selected, now it is another closed button that needs to be opened. You may be correct, they are freeing screen space to display more ads. There ain't no such thing as free...

The discussion Google is interesting but "new technology" isn't helpful if it doesn't deliver the functionality we need, regardless of how cool it is.

I think your post gets to the heart of the matter. I want certain functions, no matter if I use a tablet, pc, smartphone, or a flexible display on my arm. The technologies at war with each other are not always focused on supplying the functions I need. Fortunately, when megacorp drops the ball, others rush in with better solutions. One of Yahoo's strengths is the financial data and various ways you can customize data display with their tools.

 

[target2019]

I tried google finance but it fails to return the correct fund for VXUS. It returns Vanguard STAR Funds Inc (VGSTX) instead of Vanguard Total Intl Stock Idx ETF. I sent them a notice of the error several days ago but have not heard back.

I tried the symbol in google finance and it seems to return the correct NAV for VXUS. Tried it in an online doc, and seems to work there also.

 

[Lsbcal]

...You may be correct, they are freeing screen space to display more ads. There ain't no such thing as free...

I use My Yahoo but don't pay attention to the left side with the stock listings. For that I go to Yahoo Finance where you can set up the top of the screen for a set of quotes of interest. Then, of course, you can create your own portfolios and display in any order. No ads with Firefox + adblock. Below is a partial screen shot of how I've got my Yahoo Finance page set up, FWIW:

 

[Texas Proud]

I just came upon this thread and checked my various portfolios on Yahoo.

They don't have the problems (I think) that others observe.

I have them in the sequence I want, which I changed around using the edit function. I also unchecked the block "Sort positions alphabetically by symbol" under "Advanced Settings". Also, click on the "More Details" (underlined link) to see how option changes can be used to control your display as you wish.

BTW, I also have $$ entries to break down my subgroups within the same display, for things such as listing rollover IRA, TIRA, and Roth IRA's, but allowing an overall total for the entire portfolio.

Also, I applied all changes on the "Performance" tab that I use for my display.

Just a bit of input what I have found while working with the new format.

Are you looking at them on the home page I do not think they made changes on the Finance section....

 

[Texas Proud]

The other problem that I have with the change is that the DJIA has now gone to the bottom instead of being at the top....

I do have it in another section, Market Summary, but why move it from the top? I would think most people would want an index at the top.

 

[Bestwifeever]

The other problem that I have with the change is that the DJIA has now gone to the bottom instead of being at the top....

I do have it in another section, Market Summary, but why move it from the top? I would think most people would want an index at the top.

I think you can drag and drop the different boxes to wherever you want them (and you can delete most of them)? I put the three I wanted at the top, so the advertising box is below them and I don't see the ad box on the top half of the standard Yahoo home page (I can only see half the page on my notebook computer, so I would have to scroll to see the ads. Of course I don't ).

My custom Yahoo home page is the same as it was before.

 

[CH]

Adblock Plus. Sure and simple.

I don't accept your admonishment either. I use three browsers since I support all types of technical environments, and many types of users. Chrome is not the best technology. It's one of several browsers, and is useful in some situations, but less useful in other situations.

My apologies. My remarks were not intended as an admonishment to anyone. Let me try to clarify my comments.

This thread was a request for alternatives to Yahoo. My own experience was that I used Yahoo for a long, long time...decades...and due to my own lack of initiative, I didn't investigate or understand other approaches. If you have done that, and determined through comparative analysis that Yahoo meets your needs the best, then kudos to you. But some on here may be like me...and it took my kids to wake me up to the technological advantages of Google...and that is primarily integration.

Bemoaning the pending loss of iGoogle (the Google "home page") demonstrates a lack of understanding of how Google works and where Google is going. Aside from being a fast and memory efficient browser, Chrome (the Google browser) is effectively taking the place of the Google home page. The financial news stories are presented under Google Reader. Gmail, Google Finance, Google Play, Google Maps, etc. are all integrated into the Chrome browser. This is elegant, but the way it integrates with the Android phones and Nexus tablet is equally elegant.

To those who say Google Finance doesn't do what you need it to, have you really looked at it? There is probably a way to get the information you use. It is a different tool, and it is not going to work exactly the way Yahoo does.

If you buy a new...anything...digital TV, new car, new phone...it is not going to work exactly the way the old one worked...so are you going to say....damn...I wish I had my old whatever back because the features work differently?

This is my last post on the subject of Google. The thread was a requestfor alternatives to Yahoo. I have explained the advantages as well as I can, which is probably not well enough.

Sorry for an offense taken. None was intended.

 

[tapper]

I tried the symbol in google finance and it seems to return the correct NAV for VXUS. Tried it in an online doc, and seems to work there also.

Interesting. I compared the NAV with Yahoo's and they matched so the only thing broken is the fund's name is not displayed correctly. That's good enough for me. Thanks!

 

[Texas Proud]

I think you can drag and drop the different boxes to wherever you want them (and you can delete most of them)? I put the three I wanted at the top, so the advertising box is below them and I don't see the ad box on the top half of the standard Yahoo home page (I can only see half the page on my notebook computer, so I would have to scroll to see the ads. Of course I don't ).

My custom Yahoo home page is the same as it was before.

It is not the boxes that I was referring to.... it is the stock symbols inside a portfolio... Here is an example... the DJIA is at the bottom of the list.

VMW
84.64-0.74-0.87%
WCG
64.61-0.74-1.13%
XOM
84.89-0.58-0.68%
ZSL
68.21+0.10+0.15%
DJIA
12,692.78-84.31-0.66%

 

[rescueme]

Are you looking at them on the home page I do not think they made changes on the Finance section....

I have the "My Portfolios" displayed on the home page for the three that I set up (DW, mine, and "ours"). They show the daily change in value and %. If you want more detail, just double click the portfolio name.

 

[braumeister]

As of this morning, it appears they listened to the complaints.
Portfolios on my Yahoo home page are displayed as I want them again.

 

[MichaelB]

As of this morning, it appears they listened to the complaints.
Portfolios on my Yahoo home page are displayed as I want them again.

+1

Thanks for pointing that out. Mine were all closed so I ignored them but after seeing your post I went back, opened each, they all remained open and in the sequence I originally made. Closed the browser, reopened it, there they were. Good for Yahoo. Hope they keep it.

 

[Chuckanut]

The new CEO seems to have hit the ground running.

Longtime Google Exec Marissa Mayer Is Yahoo’s New CEO | TechCrunch

 

[Texas Proud]

The new CEO seems to have hit the ground running.

Longtime Google Exec Marissa Mayer Is Yahoo’s New CEO | TechCrunch

I think it is too early in her time at Yahoo to give her the credit for this change... we will see how things progress.

 

[bssc]

Glad that they put the user defined order back in place.