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Desktop RSS Reader RSS Xpress

Martin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Windows users always have a lot of choice when choosing applications and software programs for certain tasks. This is especially true for popular subjects like reading RSS news. A selection of fine online and offline computer programs are available that can be used to view RSS feeds. Some of the most popular include Google Reader, a web browser like Firefox that is capable of displaying RSS feeds or desktop rss readers like FeedDemon.

RSS Xpress is another desktop rss reader that does not come with the functionality of the latest version of FeedDemon but provides users with an optimized interface that looks like those of desktop email clients. Users can import their feed lists from other applications right into the RSS reader which is available as a portable version as well.

The feeds are displayed in the left sidebar of the application. They can be grouped in folders or listed as single feeds. The top pane of the main window contains the feed titles and other information while the lower pane displays the feed message. Some feeds are not displayed fully which is rather strange considering that they are displayed with their full text in other feed readers. It comes with filtering and notification options but stays pretty basic otherwise.

The main benefits of RSS Xpress are that it is available as a portable software program and that it is easy to use without all the advanced features offered by other feed readers. It does however require the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0 which is included in Windows Vista and later and should be installed on most Windows XP systems as well. Users who like advanced features might want to take a look at the latest FeedDemon beta version or Google Reader.

Tags: desktop rss reader, feeddemon, google reader, rss, rss feeds, rss feeds reader, rss news, rss reader, rss xpress

Monitor Folders By RSS

Martin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:08:55 +0000

If you are one of those Internet users living in their RSS feed reader you might like Folder RSS. Folder RSS is a folder monitor that creates a valid RSS feed that can be accessed using any RSS reader. The feed will contain the changes made to specified folders. The software program is fully portable and script driven meaning that it is necessary to write a short batch script or run the software from the command line to create the valid RSS feed. It should also be noted that the feed will be updated locally which is not a problem for desktop feed readers. The use of feed readers like Google Reader on the other hand would require to input the IP of the local computer along with the path to the feed making sure that the remote feed reader is allowed to access the file on the local computer.

So how does Folder RSS work? A click on folder-rss.exe will explain the command line basics. It basically involves launching the same executable with a series of parameters that define what to watch and how to watch it. The basic command is folder-rss.exe [parameters] [folder to watch] [output file path]. The command folder-rss.exe c:\downloads c:\downloads.xml would create an RSS feed containing the latest changes to the c:\downloads directory. The RSS feed would be accessible by loading downloads.xml (or file://localhost/C:\download.xml)

Folder RSS comes with a set of optional parameters that can be used as filters. It is possible to to configure settings to monitor only files, folders or a specific file extension. It can also be used to change the maximum age of the files, the maximum amount of files that get displayed and to include Read only, Hidden or System files.

The RSS feed is not automatically updating itself. It has to be executed to update it. This can be done with a simple batch script that the user clicks on or that gets added to a task scheduler.

Tags: donation-coder, folder rss, monitor files, monitor folders, portable software, rss feed, rss feeds, rss reader, windows software

Microsoft Outlook RSS Add-In

Martin — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:20:51 +0000

Only Microsoft Outlook 2007 has the functionality to manage and display RSS feeds right in the email client. Previous versions of Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express do not provide the means to add RSS feeds to the email client. Enter RSS Popper, a free Microsoft Outlook add-in that adds RSS feed support to those Microsoft Outlook versions. It officially supports Microsoft Outlook 2000, Outlook XP and Microsoft Outlook 2003 but can be installed in Microsoft Outlook 2007 as well (which does not make much sense because it does support RSS feeds).

After downloading and installing RSS Popper a new toolbar appears in Microsoft Outlook. The toolbar contains one pulldown menu with the options to edit feeds and configure the options of the Microsoft Outlook add-in. It does contain two switches that can be used to turn RSS delivery on or off and to Refresh the RSS items.

The RSS news items are displayed under the RSS folder in the Mail Folders panel. This is similar to the way how Microsoft Outlook 2007 handles RSS news feeds.

RSS Popper comes with a few general RSS news items installed but one of the main reasons to use it is to add your own RSS feeds to the program.

RSS Popper supports RSS / Atom feeds, iCalendar items, Bloglines and Newsgator accounts. Interesting options include the function to translate a feed or to use authentication.

Tags: microsoft outlook, Microsoft Outlook RSS, outlook rss, outlook rss add-in, rss feeds, rss news feeds, rss popper

Forward RSS News To Email

Martin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:19:40 +0000

Converting RSS news to Email can be useful for users who prefer to receive information about updates of their favorite sites in their inbox. It also comes in handy when using mobile devices because it is usually easier to read the news in an email client instead of having to read them in a web feed reader.

RSS FWD (discovered at Donation Coder) is a service that can turn RSS news into emails. The service provides an easy to use interface. It works by entering the main url of the website in the form on the main page which is convenient for many users who do not like to search for the RSS news link on a website or do not know what RSS actually is.

The service will automatically discover the RSS news feed – if there is any – and display a preview of the latest items. The user has to sign up afterwards by providing an email address and password which will be used to login to the service and manage the subscriptions.

The interval of the updates can be selected during the subscription. It is possible to select real-time, daily or weekly updates in the inbox. Users with many RSS news feeds can import an opml file so that all feeds contained within will be automatically added to it.

Webmasters can make use of small pieces of code they can place on their websites to allow email subscriptions. Each email send out will contain an unsubscribe link which can be accessed to unsubscribe from the website. It is also possible to manage subscriptions directly on the RSS FWD website.

Tags: Email, email news, rss feeds, rss news, rss news feeds, rss to email, updates, web service, websites

Google Reader Now Offering Option To Sort Alphabetically

Martin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:49:53 +0000

Just four days ago a post entitled How To Sort Feeds In Google Reader Alphabetically Again was published on Ghacks that helped users of Google Reader to sort their feeds listing alphabetically again. The default sorting is alphabetically which becomes void when the user begins to drag and drop feeds around in Google Reader. Four days ago there was not a way to enable the option to sort feeds alphabetically again.

The only way to enable alphabetically sorting again was to create new folders and add the feeds to them. New folders sort the items alphabetically by default.

A comment by Fernando mentioned that Google added a new Options links beneath the feed list next to Manage Subscriptions in Google Reader that makes it possible to select the default method of sorting the feeds. The option can be set to “alphabetical” or “my order”. Selecting alphabetical will sort all feeds alphabetical again. One interesting aspect of the choice is that users who choose alphabetical will not be able to move feeds around in the same folder in Google Reader. It is still possible to move them to another folder though.

If alphabetical has been selected as the default sorting option then the feed items will stay alphabetical in their folder and new items will automatically assume the correct alphabetical position in the folder that they are moved into.

This finally gives everyone who was frantically looking for a way to enable alphabetical sorting in Google Reader a way to enable it again.

Tags: feed-reader, Google, google reader, news feeds, rss feeds, rss news feeds

Listen To RSS News Feeds

Martin — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:21:22 +0000

Pimp My News is a RSS News Feeds aggregator that turns all available RSS News Feeds into podcasts which can be listened to online or downloaded to the computer. The user can add up to ten feeds to his playlist which can then be turned into podcasts. Pimp My News provides two ways of subscribing to RSS news feeds. The first are packages, called FastPak at the website, which contain between 1 and 10 feeds that cater around specific interests like sports, art or technology. They make it simple and easy to subscribe to multiple RSS news feeds in short time.

The second option is to browse the categories that are available and handpick news feeds from the available options. Each category offers several categories that contain multiple feeds. The Technology category for instance contains Software, Internet and Apple subcategories that contain a handful of news feeds each.

It is unfortunately not possible to add RSS news feeds that are not in those lists which means for example that Ghacks cannot be subscribed to yet. The developers provide an email address where users can mail suggestions to though.

None, some or all of the subscribed RSS news feeds can be turned into podcasts which is the unique selling point of Pimp My News. The user can subscribe to these Podcasts, supported are iTunes but also any other software program where the user can subscribe to Podcasts (so called Podcatchers).

The quality of the recordings is fine. It is not the best and a computer is used to create the RSS audio but it is understandable. The podcasts can be copied to mp3 players like the iPod to listen to the news while on the go.

Tags: pimp my news, podcasts, read news, rss audio, rss feeds, rss news feeds

How to export live bookmarks in Firefox

Martin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:51:04 +0000

After I realized that the Brief Firefox add-on was – at least partially – responsible for the high cpu and disk usage of Firefox every 45-60 minutes I had to find another way to read my subscribed RSS Feeds. I uninstalled the Brief add-on and did face the problem that I had to export the Firefox Live Bookmarks which are the RSS Feeds. There was unfortunately though no option in Firefox 3 to do that. I was able to export all bookmarks in html and json format.

If you cannot find a default function in Firefox you can be very sure that some add-on developer has already developed a solution. In this case it’s the OPML Support add-on which adds the function to import and export opml files in Firefox. OPML files contain the RSS Feed information and can be imported into virtually any RSS Feed reader.

The two new functions are added to the Bookmark Manager which can be opened with the key combination CTRL SHIFT B. Both are available under the Import and Export menu. It takes some time to export the Live Bookmarks and Firefox will not be responsive during that time. The result is a opml file on the hard disk that can be imported into RSS Feed readers like Google Reader.

Tags: firefox, firefox 3, firefox opml, live bookmarks, opml support, rss feeds

FeedDemon, NetNewsWire and NewsGatorGo now free

Martin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:12:43 +0000

If you are looking for a desktop RSS feed reader for Windows, Mac or Mobile devices you might want to consider FeedDemon, NetNewsWire and NewsGatorGo who have been previously commercial applications but are not free to download and use. I did not pay much attention to commercial RSS feed readers before and I can’t honestly tell you much about the advantages of those products compared to their free counterparts.

Newsgator, the company that developed the three applications, did not only announce that they would be free from now on but released new versions of their products at the same time. Users with a Newsgator account can use this account to synchronize their feed on several computers and devices.

I suggest you take a look at the individual websites for FeedDemon (Windows), NetNewsWire (Mac) and NewsGator Go (Mobile Devices) to read about the features and download the software if you like what you see. I will try out FeedDemon on my Windows XP system. I already spotted two nice features. The first is to prepare Feeds to be read offline and the second to find out my popular feeds and what other NewsGator users think is popular.

You can import various formats into FeedDemon including Opml which can be generated by many online and offline RSS readers including Netvibes and Google Reader.

Tags: rss, rss feeds, rss reader

Another RSS Feed to IM Service

Martin — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:03:28 +0000

I have written about the web service Anothr just a few days ago. This service made it possible to receive RSS Feed updates in Skype, MSN and Google Talk and turned out to be pretty useful to some readers. I discovered another service that is offering RSS Feed updates send directly to Instant Messengers.

The name of this new service is Feed Crier and I’m writing about it mainly because it delivers feeds to different Instant Messengers. Feed Crier supports AIM, MSN and Jabber / Google Talk and uses the same technology that Anothr is using. This means they run bots that are added to your Instant Messengers contact list who then post new RSS Feed items in a chat window.

Feed Crier requires no signup at all. Just enter your screename, the Instant Messenger that you are using and the url of the feed that you want to receive updates from. The Feed Crier website does not contain lots of information about bot interaction, the only two commands that I was able to find are list which lists all subscribed feeds and unsubscribe url which unsubscribes the feed specified.

What I like is that only the url of the updated news item is delivered which makes it easier to keep an overview.

Tags: rss feed, rss feeds, rss reader

Receive Feed Updates in Skype, MSN, Google Talk or Email

Martin — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:46:31 +0000

Inezha is a new startup that offers a innovative way of receiving feed updates from your favorite websites. The feeds that you add to the service are delivered right to your Instant Messenger, Skype or Mail box which offers some practical uses. I have Skype enabled all the time usually which means it is more convenient to receive feed updates in Skype instead of opening Netvibes or Google Reader.

It works by adding a bot as a contact in Skype. (I suppose it works the same way in MSN and Google Talk). Once the bot has been accepted as a contact it will add feed updates right into a private chat window displaying the usual summary and a link to the article on the original website.

Feeds can be added using the feed url of the feed or by exploring already existing feeds that other users have subscribed to. Feed delivery options can be modified to limit the amount of updated feeds at a time, set a delivery timeframe (great for work / sparetime), to send only the title, title and summary.

Lots of options at hand which makes Inezha, or how they call themselves Anothr, a valuable unique service that should appeal to many users. Instead of using the website interface users can communicate with the bot directly. Subscribing to feeds is possible by issuing the command “+ feed url” for instance.

The website was rather slow when I tested the service but since it is not necessary to use it at all after setting up an account and adding the bots to your Instant Messenger or Skype it is not a huge problem.

Feeds can be imported in the OPML format which is supported by many Feed readers including Netvibes and Google Reader.

Tags: rss aggregator, rss feeds, rss reader

Google Reader Notifier for Firefox

Martin — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 07:08:04 +0000

I wrote an article just a few days ago about the Google Reader Notifier application for Windows computers and was linked by the Download Squad Website who mentioned the Firefox extension with the same name. The only difference between those two applications that share the same name is that one is running in your system tray while the other is reporting the amount of unread news in Google Reader in your status bar.

As usual you have to supply your login details to be able to check the unread items in your Google Reader account. Several other configuration options can be changed such as the refresh time in second which is set to 120 minutes by default and how the extension handles clicks on the icons.

If you move the mouse over the unread count all categories that contain unread items are displayed with the amount of unread items next to them. This is great if you only want to read feeds from a certain category for instance.

Google Reader Notifier Download
via Download Squad

Tags: firefox-extensions, google reader, google reader notifier, mozilla, rss feeds

Google Reader Notifier

Martin — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:59:27 +0000

Google Reader Notifier is a small application for Windows based operating systems that sits in the system tray notifying the user of new unread items in Google Reader. The amount of unread news are shown in a small window that opens above the system tray. Checks are done periodically and can be configured to be performed every 5 to 120 minutes.

The first time user has to enter his Google username and password so that the software can access Google Reader to check for new unread items. A click on the notification window will load Google Reader in your default browser. It is possible to specify a label so that Google Reader Notifier reports only unread items of that label.

homepage: Google Reader Notifier

Tags: google reader, google reader notifier, rss feeds

News Ticker Style RSS Feeds

Martin — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 09:11:48 +0000

I have been looking for a rss reader for quite some time that would display the latest feeds in a news ticker style known from television news channels such as CNN. I quickly found an interesting Czech freeware that would display all my rss feeds in a news ticker either at the top or at the bottom of my screen.

Rss feeds in OPML format can be imported into the software which is great if you are already using another service such as Google Reader or Netvibes to display your feeds online. The news order of the rss ticker can be set to chronological, alternating and random.

If you do not have OPML data you can add single feeds to FeedLiner with ease. Folders and different colors change the layout of the feed catalogue which is helpful if you have a lot of feeds.

A little bit strange is that I found no way to delete the default categories and feeds that come preinstalled with the software. Most of them are in Czech which should only appeal to a handful of users who read this article. If you find a way to delete those folders and feeds let me know please.

It is also possible to increase the size and the speed of the news ticker. Hovering your mouse over an entry displays that entry directly as an overlay which is really nice if you want to quickly read something.

Feedliner is a unique rss reader distinguishing itself from others with its rss ticker display.

Tags: feedliner, news ticker, rss, rss feeds, rss ticker

How to use RSS Feeds

Martin — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 18:03:04 +0000

This topic might not look interesting at first glance but I promise it will be worth reading it. More than 900 readers subscribed to the feeds of ghacks.net using feedburner alone while many more are using different services to read my feeds. But what are feeds ? They are a short abstract of every article that gets posted here. This means whenever I write an article it will automatically appear in those peoples feed reader software. Many browsers for instance are able to read feeds or can be upgraded to read them.

For Firefox you´ve got the Wizz RSS News Reader extension for instance or the Info Rss extension. Opera has this ability build in and Internet Explorer, well I don´t know about this one because I´am not using this software. (Only checking my sites design with it). So, you´ve got the internal feedreaders and you also got feedreaders that are external programs.

One of the greatest of them is called, guess what, Feedreader. The freeware works under Win98+, is completely open source, small in size and easy to use. Feedreader comes with a preinstalled list of feeds which you may select to keep or to remove after the installation. I suggest you keep them for now and delete them later when you find out that they are not useful at all.

You see some folders on the left like Tech or Entertainment. Clicking a folder opens the sites that you are currently subscribed to. Feedreader checks for new items now and will display some for every site.Whenever you click on a feed feedreader displays the latest articles, clicking on an article displays the article on the window to the right. Sometimes you can read the complete article, sometimes it´s only a preview of the article. A click on the articles title opens the web page containing that article.

Feedreader loads the articles by default in the same window that you clicked the article, to change that go to Tools -> Options and select Open link in default browser which opens all new links in your default browser.

Why are so many people reading rss feeds ? I think it´s mostly a matter of time. You can add as many sites as you want and all articles are displayed in one program. You don´t need to navigate to several websites, you find all news in that single program which is a great time saver if you ask me.

Tags: rss, rss feeds

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