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Found a new RSS feed reader I really like. Its called Alesti
By Andrew Pollack on 11/18/2007 at 04:06 PM ESTI used to use Sharpreader, but that doesn't share well. Foxmarks is good in theory, but it seems to loose track of updates. The RSS reader in Notes 8 doesn't make me happy, and paying for a better one isn't my style. I'd sooner write one myself.
In looking around, I came across "Alesti" http://www.alesti.org/ , and I'm back to keeping up with RSS feeds again.
Its web based, but doesn't feel like a web application. It uses a three pane interface, with bookmarks on the left, titles in the upper right, and either summary or full page entries on the lower right. Because it is web based, using it from different machines is no problem. It tracks unread marks perfectly (so far) and fully supports OPML importing and exporting so loading your existing feeds in isn't hard at all.
I find a bookmark toolbar link to it opens the site instantly with the three panes ready to go. No multi-steps login process or other hassles. I can check for new news quickly or just leave it open in a firefox tab. Functionally, it is a great deal like Sharpreader, but slicker. Add that it completely follows you from workstation to laptop and back again seamlessly and I'm all set.
The only thing I didn't see built in, is a drag/drop subscribe tool so you could automatically add feeds. They do have a url syntax that works, however, for example "http://www.alesti.org/?subscribe-feed=http://www.alesti.org/blog/index.rss" will subscribe you to their own feed. Clearly a firefox widget could be quickly put together that would allow drag & drop. I'll try to put one together tonight.
during the day I use my workstation, and in the evenings or on the road I use
my laptop. I hate not having them in sync.
Foxmarks does a great job keeping my firefox bookmarks in sync now. So I went
looking for RSS feed readers that would do it well. The Madicon one for Domino
sounds like a perfect and more professional implementation of something I'd
been considering making (much more professional and complete than I'd planned
to take the time for if I'd made it for just me) but again, the idea of paying
for something so inherently simple bugs me.
I'm not knocking the Madicon one. It sounds excellent and I'm not saying its
"simple" in that he's gone to a lot of trouble to put features around the basic
concept itself. I'm just saying that RSS itself is by nature not that complex.
Anyway, if you want an rss feed reader and aggregator for Domino, that one
seems to be the bee's knees. It can be server based and let you replicate your
updates. http://www.madicon.de/rss-reader-en/index.php
Sharpreader seems fine at the workstation level, though I think Feeddeamon is
getting a lot of good use as well.
Still, for overall workability, I'm really digging Alesti.
http://www.alesti.org
Of course, it gives Google even more info about me...
I am a total fan though. I love using the letter J to navigate through my feeds
and the letter K to navigate up. It's really mindless - I don't know why more
apps don't use this.
When my wife hogs both my Laptop and TV I quickly fire up the Treo and start
reading.
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Feeddemon (http://www.feeddemon.com). It's $30 and the best you'll ever spend.
I have been using it for years and it continues to be myu trusty companion.