An RSS News Reader with the Power of Google
- 2008.08.20 - Tip Jar
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There are many ways to browse the Web. If you're an information addict like me, many of the sites you visit are updated frequently. Actually visiting each site multiple times a day is inefficient and slow. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) offers a way to track new content as it appears, and the Google Reader packs powerful features into a completely browser-based RSS reader.
RSS Redux
RSS readers are not new. Neither are web-based RSS readers. In fact,
OS X comes with a more than competent RSS reader in the form of
Safari. If you visit any website that publishes an RSS feed - a file
that indexes new content for RSS subscribers - Safari will alert you to
that fact by showing an RSS icon (
) in the
URL bar. (Most browsers use the standard RSS feed icon:
) By clicking on the icon, you can view the site content
through its feeds, and even bookmark the feed.
Although Safari makes a pleasant RSS reader, it is not optimized for the task. If you are serious news hound, it may not be your best choice.
Being browser-based, the Google Reader can be accessed from any computer and any web browser. It uses AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) techniques to highlight news stories as they appear on the sites to which you are subscribed. It updates RSS news feeds automatically in the background.
You can see a list of all your subscriptions on the left side of the window with the number of new articles at each site. On the right side is a reading pane where article summaries are read (most recent first) with links to the full articles. In the reading pane, you can see all articles for all sites, all articles for individual sites, or new articles from all or individual sites.
The Google Reader also offers a feature to email articles, tag articles, and share them with friends. Sharing is done through a unique Google assigned URL that must be provided to friends before they can be viewed. Finally, there are a couple of handy features like the "Mark all read" and "Refresh" buttons.
Finding Feeds
Google Reader offers two convenient ways to find and subscribe to RSS feeds. The first is by using the "Add Subscription" box. You can either type the URL of the feed directly into the box or enter a search term and Google will give you list of feeds to select.
The second way is by using the Discover link. The Discover option provides recommendations for new feeds by comparing your interests with the feeds of users similar to you. The Discover feature has turned up some interesting sites for me.
Trends and Statistics
Following the Trends link, you can see how many articles you have read at each site, the percentage read, how many items read/day and other metadata about your news habits. You can also see how many items per day on average are being added to each site, and the "Most obscure" tab on the Trends page shows how many other users have subscribed to the each of your feeds.
More News Is Good News
For me the main attraction of Google Reader is the portability and
power of Google Reader, browser independence, and ease of use. When I
first tried it some time ago, it was a little rough, but the hard edges
appear to be gone. It has fed my information addiction steadily for
last couple of months. 
Free RSS Readers for Mac OS X
Most modern browsers have built-in RSS readers, but a freestanding or web-based RSS reader lets you switch browsers without losing your subscriptions. Following is just a sampling of freeware RSS apps for Macs.
Keith Winston is a recent Mac convert after five years of Linux on the desktop. He also writes for Linux.com and recently created CommandLineMac.com to focus on the Unix-y power of the Mac. If you find Keith's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Linux to Mac Columns
- 3 reasons to run virtualized Linux, 05.22. Reasons to run Linux under virtualization include duplicating your development environment, X11 programs that don't work well in OS X, and exploring different GUI concepts.
- Taking Linux to Mac OS X with virtualization, 03.17. Thanks to products like VMware Fusion, it's easy to run your favorite Linux distro alongside Mac OS X.
- Installing Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL on Leopard, 02.15. The combination of Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL is a powerful and popular development environment. Here's how to get both running under Mac OS X 10.5.
- Restore stability to a troubled Mac with a clean system install, 01.15. If your Mac is misbehaving, the best fix just might be a fresh reinstallation of Mac OS X - don't forget to backup first.
- More in the Linux to Mac index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: eMac, Apr. 2002 - 50 lb. 17" white G4 eMac replaced the iMac for the education market.
- Group of the Day: MacCube is the email list for Cube users.
- December 3 in LEM history: 01: The future of low-end Macs - Internet charges and Low End Mac - 02: A smooth switch with Move2Mac - 04: Upgrading from Mac OS 9 to 10.3 - PC malware: The best reasons to use a Mac - No sympathy for bashing Macs in schools - 'Book fragility - 07: Switching to Mac tripled my productivity - Leopard on a G3 iMac (with a G4 upgrade)
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- OS X More Efficient than Linux, Snow Leopard and PowerPC Macs, and Eudora Woes, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.03. A user reports both Panther and Leopard run more smoothly and use memory more efficiently than Linux. Also thoughts on PowerPC abandonment in Snow Leopard and replacing Eudora in Leopard.
- The Leopard Experience at 867 MHz, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 12.02. Mac OS X 10.5 requires an 867 MHz G4 with 512 MB of memory, but is performance really acceptable on a minimum spec system?
- A Used 17" PowerBook as a Budget Notebook Alternative, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 12.02. Sure, you can buy a refurbished 13.3" MacBook for under $900, but you could also have an expansive, feature laden 17" PowerBook in the same price range.
- The Very Best Macs: Sometimes Apple Just Nails It, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 12.01. Apple has produced lots of good Macs, a few dogs, and some 'best of breed' models that stand apart from the pack.
- Apple Could Buy Dell, and Linux Is No Threat to Mac OS X, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.01. Apple has the cash to buy Dell outright, and the idea has some merit. Also, why Linux still isn't ready to displace the Mac OS.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 12.03. Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, 12.03. Used 1.5 GHz, $685; 1.67 GHz, $699.
- Best Intel iMac Deals, 12.03. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $550; 20" 2.0, $650; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates and free shipping on new.
- Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, 12.02. DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited users, $400.
- Best iMac G5 Deals, 12.02. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $400; 1.8 SuperDrive, $450; 1.9 iSight, $599; 20" 1.8 GHz, $500; 2.0, $600; 2.1 iSight, $700. Shipping additional.
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 12.02. Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,330; 2.33 Core 2, $1,499; close-out, 2.4, $1,800 after rebate; new 2.5, $2,000 a/r; new hi-res, $2,499 a/r; refurb 2.6, $2,399.
- Best iPod nano Deals, 12.01. Refurb 3G/4 GB, $79; new, $105; refurb 8 GB, $99; new, $115; 3G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $174. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 12.01. Used 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $481/C$599 plus shipping.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 12.01. Used 3.0 GHz 4-core, $2,102; new 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 a/r; 8-core, $2,515 a/r; 3.0 $3,320 a/r; 3.2, $4,099 a/r.
- More deals in our archive.
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