Google Chrome is getting an RSS feed reader on desktop(ghacks.net)
ghacks.net
Google Chrome is getting an RSS feed reader on desktop
https://www.ghacks.net/2022/08/22/google-chrome-is-getting-an-rss-feed-reader-on-desktop/
41 comments
It was really disappointing that Firefox removed RSS support. I could understand Chrome was abandoning an essential open standard, as they are a for-profit company. But Mozilla doing it was senseless.
The only thing that seems to reliably motivate Mozilla to change their browser is when Google adds a new feature, so I am confident that Firefox will get RSS support again.
The only thing that seems to reliably motivate Mozilla to change their browser is when Google adds a new feature, so I am confident that Firefox will get RSS support again.
I really miss RSS integration in Firefox. Now I have to dig in website source code to see if it has RSS feed or not. Hopefully after Chrome RSS reader will get some success, Mozilla might build RSS reader into Firefox too. It would be even more useful to sync RSS feeds using Firefox account between devices, like bookmarks.
I use Guido Berhörster Feed Preview extension: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/feed-preview/
I use the Livemarks extension just for finding feeds, even though I don't use it as my feed reader
This is Mozilla we are talking about. Moh-zill-uh.
They serve different purposes. The viewer in the browser is only to preview what you're going to get if you subscribe without switching context to another application (most feeds I view I don't end up subscribing to). A feed reader is for subscribing and reading regularly.
A shout-out to NetNewsWire from me. It's perfect.
A shout-out to NetNewsWire from me. It's perfect.
> A shout-out to NetNewsWire from me. It's perfect.
It would be a lot more perfect if you could force it to push local state to the cloud when it syncs (or vice versa). Automagically applying heuristics doesn't always work so well.
I really need to sit down one weekend and figure out how to make this work (by iterating through DB.sqlite3 and pushing the appropriate entries to Sync.sqlite3... I think...).
It would be a lot more perfect if you could force it to push local state to the cloud when it syncs (or vice versa). Automagically applying heuristics doesn't always work so well.
I really need to sit down one weekend and figure out how to make this work (by iterating through DB.sqlite3 and pushing the appropriate entries to Sync.sqlite3... I think...).
> But a dedicated native feed reader is almost always a better way to go.
Currently actually using Thunderbird for this, since I couldn't find standalone software that I actually liked (though RSS Guard felt close to what I was looking for https://github.com/martinrotter/rssguard) and I wasn't looking for an online reader for this, nor did I want browser integration (too many separate browser installs across multiple computers).
Turns out that Thunderbird's built in functionality is pretty much sufficient and works nicely: https://blog.thunderbird.net/2022/05/thunderbird-rss-feeds-g...
Essentially now I have a few folders next to my e-mail accounts and I can read them when I want, the usage mode being surprisingly similar to e-mails (e.g. ignoring an account or two until I feel like browsing them, vs the immediate notifications of instant messaging). Plus, the UI/UX is pretty much regular Thunderbird as well, so nothing new there - it's familiar and usable.
Currently actually using Thunderbird for this, since I couldn't find standalone software that I actually liked (though RSS Guard felt close to what I was looking for https://github.com/martinrotter/rssguard) and I wasn't looking for an online reader for this, nor did I want browser integration (too many separate browser installs across multiple computers).
Turns out that Thunderbird's built in functionality is pretty much sufficient and works nicely: https://blog.thunderbird.net/2022/05/thunderbird-rss-feeds-g...
Essentially now I have a few folders next to my e-mail accounts and I can read them when I want, the usage mode being surprisingly similar to e-mails (e.g. ignoring an account or two until I feel like browsing them, vs the immediate notifications of instant messaging). Plus, the UI/UX is pretty much regular Thunderbird as well, so nothing new there - it's familiar and usable.
Having a browser that gives you the choice is an essential first step.
Without XSLT, Firefox displays an ugly XML view and offers no suggestion that the URL might serve any useful purpose.
With XSLT (see mine below), you can make it much healthier, but you're then still the person trying to explain how to use RSS. Browsers used to form part of this protocol handling element.
https://thepcspy.com/feeds/full.xml
Without XSLT, Firefox displays an ugly XML view and offers no suggestion that the URL might serve any useful purpose.
With XSLT (see mine below), you can make it much healthier, but you're then still the person trying to explain how to use RSS. Browsers used to form part of this protocol handling element.
https://thepcspy.com/feeds/full.xml
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Reminds me of the movie Zombieland, Columbus’ rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse:
> “#2: Double Tap - In those moments when you're not sure the undead are really dead dead, don't get all stingy with your bullets. I mean, one more clean shot to the head.”
> https://zombieland.fandom.com/wiki/Zombieland_Rules
Google might be just going to make sure that RSS stays dead, and not just “playing possum”.
> “#2: Double Tap - In those moments when you're not sure the undead are really dead dead, don't get all stingy with your bullets. I mean, one more clean shot to the head.”
> https://zombieland.fandom.com/wiki/Zombieland_Rules
Google might be just going to make sure that RSS stays dead, and not just “playing possum”.
They should make sure this won't have a simple chronological list of updates to make life worse.
I can't wait to see how long it takes google to scrap it like they did with google reader
I still have reader bookmarked. I keep it next to my gmail bookmark as a reminder to not get overly invested in any one ecosystem/service.
While Reader still shares a place in my heart along with Firefly, I do wonder if it would have died an ecosystem death anyway? Blogging was on the decline, perhaps they sped it up but I don't think it would have held back the tide.
The media consumption landscape is too supercharged with quick hit fast-food to support long form profitably.
Can blogs be run non-profitably? Of course, but either the author is time/money rich, or they'll try and hop the influencer train.
Blogging for blogs sake seems to be destined for niche-ness.
The media consumption landscape is too supercharged with quick hit fast-food to support long form profitably.
Can blogs be run non-profitably? Of course, but either the author is time/money rich, or they'll try and hop the influencer train.
Blogging for blogs sake seems to be destined for niche-ness.
But there are still so many blogs, and even successful companies who charge money for feed readers. It never really went away.
I imagine there's a world where Google, still in the RSS space, realized that newsletters were an oddly vibrant market, and were the ones who started alternate-universe Substack.
I imagine there's a world where Google, still in the RSS space, realized that newsletters were an oddly vibrant market, and were the ones who started alternate-universe Substack.
RIP google reader
I'm always happy to see things that will improve the adoption of RSS. I think it is a far better way to consume content compared to big companies deciding what they think you want to see (this may get a bit of this on the side from Google but I am not against a bit of recommendations as long as the focus is on what you subscribed to).
I personally have my own reader setup but the more options the merrier. That is what makes standard protocols great.
I personally have my own reader setup but the more options the merrier. That is what makes standard protocols great.
I really miss my old Safari-based RSS workflow (readflow?) You could put a bunch of fees into a single folder and then get the new articles all at once. I generally opened them all in the original site¹ (I hate that many Wordpress themes default to truncated article presentation, but even so, it was nice to get things in their idiosyncratic display for each blog). I’d end up with a couple dozen tabs which I would read the article, maybe leave a comment and close and move on to the next one. I use NetNewsWire on my iPad now, but it really doesn’t measure up to that old approach to my mind.
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1. I had thought, why isn’t there an RSS reader that does this now and apparently, there’s no guarantee that the title link in an RSS feed goes to the blog article and not some external link being discussed in the blog post.
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1. I had thought, why isn’t there an RSS reader that does this now and apparently, there’s no guarantee that the title link in an RSS feed goes to the blog article and not some external link being discussed in the blog post.
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Following the trend should we be expecting Chrome XUL addons?
You may be joking(?), but I thoroughly enjoyed developing XUL based applications[1]. I found the design paradigm to be well ahead of the curve and cleaner than it's successors (like Angular) are today.
[1] only gripe I had with XUL was the use of rdf for backend data representation
[1] only gripe I had with XUL was the use of rdf for backend data representation
There is no data, there is only XUL!
I also thoroughly enjoyed that era.
I also thoroughly enjoyed that era.
I loved XUL addons, they did everything, Chrome was not even an option for an advanced user, it took years for webext to reach a similar point of usefulness. And still there are small things that worked better in XUL
My problem is Mozzarella keeps removing Firefox features that Chrome adds later
My problem is Mozzarella keeps removing Firefox features that Chrome adds later
Unlike XUL, extensions are just passengers, with no power to override core browser engine features. I don't think that web extensions have reached a similar level of usefulness today. And even if they did, why should we have waited so many years to gain that functionality back?
Google's decision to have crippled extensions was made in a corporate board room to maximize Google's leverage at the expense of utility for users. So it is tragic and baffling to see Mozilla pantomiming what Google did, since throwing away a far more mature and powerful extension framework benefits nobody but Google.
Google could troll Mozilla by just announcing that they are deprecating local bookmarks (and they may very well do that), and watch as Firefox obsequiously removes bookmarks from Firefox, "to stay modern", and then Google could pull the rug out from under then by not deprecating it.
Google's decision to have crippled extensions was made in a corporate board room to maximize Google's leverage at the expense of utility for users. So it is tragic and baffling to see Mozilla pantomiming what Google did, since throwing away a far more mature and powerful extension framework benefits nobody but Google.
Google could troll Mozilla by just announcing that they are deprecating local bookmarks (and they may very well do that), and watch as Firefox obsequiously removes bookmarks from Firefox, "to stay modern", and then Google could pull the rug out from under then by not deprecating it.
Not sure if that typo was intentional, but really gave me a chuckle.
Heh, I recall back in 2008-2009 thinking how Chrome couldn't possibly compete with Firefox because it couldn't even read/subscribe to RSS. Here we are today, it's the number one browser in the world and is finally getting RSS capabilities.
I doubt the core potential user base of rss trusts google on this given their history
Good for services like Inoreader and Feedly (or others in the space). This will lower the bar for discovery and users will want something better than a plain vanilla reader.
It reminds me of the days using the Opera browser in the early 2000's. It had a wonderfully quick and easy to use feed reader. I still miss the ease of it.
I miss Opera having everything in it.
Vivaldi is very reminiscent of it. It's even by von Tetzchner.
(And I guess SeaMonkey still exists.)
(And I guess SeaMonkey still exists.)
Those who do not remember Google Reeder are doomed to reimplement it, poorly.
I just swapped to LibreWolf so good thing I don't care about RSS feeds
This would be great if iOS chrome supported reader mode……
Looking at you, Mozilla.
Add RSS and Live Bookmarks back!
Being able to display feeds is a nice thing to have in a browser. But a dedicated native feed reader is almost always a better way to go. QuiteRSS handles large (1000+) feed lists well.