Beatnik - Another Simple Newsreader

Comments (1) · July 10, 2007 at 10:13 am · Firefox Usability

There have been a number of RSS feed extensions out there that turn Firefox into a syndication master. You can go from browser to RSS reader and back within the blink of an eye - and not have to worry about launch a new web site or a new program.

One new extenion RSS feed reader that recently caught my eye was Beatnik. It promises to be a “simple but elegant news reader”. With a description like that whats not to love?

It is simple. If your looking for neat features and a “wiz bang” interface, this isn’t the extension for you. If you need a feed reader for a dozen feeds or so and you want it built into your browser, you might want to give Beatnik a shot.

How Does Firefox Handle RSS Feeds?

Comments off · May 29, 2007 at 5:00 am · Firefox Basics

With the release of Firefox 2, the browser has done a much better job with handling RSS feeds.

Instead of throwing you up a bunch of random XML code they actually give you a pretty nice interface to learn from and use when clicking on that little orange subscription button you see on all the Web sites these days.

For an example, let’s use the RSS feed for Firefox Facts:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/firefoxfacts

Now when you launch that in Firefox, you will be given a clean easy to read interface. You can see all the latest links and summeries from Firefox Facts and at the top you will have a few subscription options. You can use one of the exteneral RSS feed readers on the list or you can choose to add it as a Live Bookmark.

What is a Live Bookmark? Here is how the Mozilla team describes it:

Whether it’s news from CNN and the BBC, or posts on your friend’s blog, the Web is updated continually. Firefox’s Live Bookmarks feature automatically keeps track of these updates for you, so you always know when new content has been added to your favorite sites. With Live Bookmarks, the content comes to you. Instead of constantly checking Web pages for changes and additions, a Live Bookmark delivers updates to you as soon as they are available.

Another way to gain access to a Web site’s RSS feed is to look for the little orange RSS icon in the address bar. Depending on what theme you use it might look a little different but when you click on it it should give you a few subscription options. If you select to add it as a live bookmark - it opens up the previously mentioned styled RSS feed.

There is one more RSS in Firefox option I’d like to share with you. To configure a few things about how Firefox handles RSS feeds navigate yourself to Menu > Tools > Options… and then click on the tab for “Feeds”. From here you can choose if you want to get a preview of the feed everytime you see an RSS feed in the browser or you can set it to automatically subscribe using the Live Bookmark system or any other RSS reader out there (both Online and Offline).

There is more than one way to skin a cat and there is more than one way to subscribe to your favorite RSS feeds in Firefox. For a few more subsciption options for Firefox Facts please check out the Subscription Links Web page at FirefoxFacts.com.

Better GReader - Make Google Reader Better

Comments off · May 23, 2007 at 11:00 am · Firefox Settings

The folks over at Lifehacker have been up to it again with creating yet another cool extension for Firefox.

Firefox only: Google Reader is one of the best web-based feed readers out there, but it could stand a few adjustments. Greasemonkey scripters have come up with a few Google Reader user scripts that make some welcome GReader tweaks like maximizing the viewing area, skipping Google’s default subscribe mechanism, and adding keyboard shortcuts.

I downloaded it the minute I saw it and haven’t stopped using it yet. Can’t wait to see what they do with it in the future. Good work guys (and gals) at Lifehacker!

+ Download and Install the Better GReader Extension for Firefox!

Smart Google Reader Subscriptions

Comments off · October 19, 2006 at 7:57 am · Greasemonkey

If you use Google’s Feed Reader this is a Greasemonkey script that you need. This script adds a feed icon to the upper right corner of your browser window for one-click subscription to Google Reader.

My version of the script adds an overlayed check icon when you’re subscribed to at least one of the feeds that the site advertises via auto-discovery. This was made easy by a URL that Reader exports: http://www.google.com/reader/api/0/subscribed?s=feed/. It returns “true” or “false” depending on whether the current user (as determined by the Google Account cookie) is subscribed to the given feed.

+ Get the Greasemonkey Script!