Two years ago Dave Winer created feeds.scripting.com to help people share lists of feeds and discover other members of the community with similar interests. Winer just relaunched the site at a new URL, share.opml.org, to connect a new community and raise awareness of the OPML file format. The new site was based on Manila and the new site is built on top of WordPress. The Share Your OPML site collects lists of feed subscription URLs from its members and presents lists of most popular feeds, individual feed subscribers, and a peek into the lists of other members with similar reading…
Category Archives: Software
NewsGator error blanks out feed content
Another weekend, another NewsGator news item of fun. This morning the NewsGator servers decided to replace the content of feed items with the item’s link. It’s more than a bit annoying and reminds us how updates from the cloud can go wrong and you are trusting your content will be delivered by the proxy in a timely and accurate manner. Did the proxy parse the feed correctly? Does the central database have the latest items available for its subscribers? Did it change the content in any way? Did the client software change its refresh rate to lower the burden…
Appcasting for application updates
Appcasting is a way to add automatic updates to your applications using RSS 2.0 with enclosures. Mac apps TextMate, SubEthaEdit, and iStumbler already use appcasts for updates and frameworks such as Sparkle help you easily add updates for your own Cocoa app. Application developers can describe their application and the changes present in each update. You can add CSS and images to make the update screen pretty, and Sparkle lets you specify a web page to retrieve if you would like to keep the size of your RSS file small. Developers code the location of the appropriate RSS feed directly…
Helio on Top feed reader
Helio just launched, and every phone has a feed reader combined with unlimited data service. The reader is named “Helio on Top,” displaying new messages on the bottom third of your screen as they come in. Selecting the message displays the full article and you can also browse through three items or channels at a time. Helio on Top is graphically very similar to Motorola’s Screen3 reader. I like the small square images on the left of each alert. Given the tiny screen it’s important for these images to add context but also create a more comporting feeling that…
New Mac ads poke fun at Windows
I like the new Get a Mac ads Apple introduced tonight. The messages are simple and conversational with just one or two competitive points each. Less viruses, less restarting, better applications built-in for editing photos and websites, as easy as your iPod, simple connectivity, and a really good value are the themes communicated throughout. The Get a Mac campaign also promotes podcasting support as a good reason to switch….
Microsoft Research open house tomorrow in Mountain View
Microsoft Research will be demonstrating some of their projects tomorrow afternoon in Mountain View. It’s a total geek science fair, with futuristic ideas such as recording and indexing everything you see and hear throughout the day, auto-classifying blog content, or searching the web based on a cameraphone picture. The demo room is open from 2-4 p.m. for browsing. I’ll be on the lookout for a tricorder or new textual analysis of blogs. Tags: msresearch…
Nokia Series 60 podcatcher
Nokia plans to release a podcast client for its latest smartphone lineup in early July. The application takes advantage of 3G cellular data networks and/or nearby WiFi hotspots to deliver new audio content to your phone right after it’s published. Users can search for podcasts but it’s not clear who is providing the directory and search content for Nokia. Tags: nokiaseries60…
Firefox and IE share feed sniffer
Ben Goodger just blogged about feed discovery in Firefox 2.0. He was able to use the same feed sniffing techniques as Internet Explorer 7, making the feed world a bit simpler for both users and publishers. Tags: firefoxie7…
Facebook enters the workplace
Popular social networking site Facebook is moving beyond schools and into the workplace. A new version of the site went live this morning allowing new registrations on corporate e-mail addresses. I was able to signup using my Microsoft address and completed my profile. Basic profile information still seems geared towards college students and dating. Members can self-select what they would like to find on the network including friendship, dating, a relationship, random play, or “whatever I can get.” My Microsoft social network on the site is currently filled with recent graduates who most likely had a profile before entering the…
Sony PSP system update includes Flash, AAC support
Sony updated its system software for the PlayStation Portable last night. System update 2.7 includes support for Flash content inside the browser, AAC audio playback, and channel-level RSS settings. AAC support means the PSP might soon support QuickTime chapters, allowing podcasters to add images and descriptive text to individual segments. Flash 6 limits the functionality of new multimedia features such as streaming audio and video but it should work fine within websites using Flash for navigation. Tags: pspsonypsp…