I switched from Google Reader to Liferea a while back. I was mostly
happy with the functionality of Reader but I don't really want my
reading history to be recorded or my feed list to be vulnerable to
the whim of Google's inscrutable abuse department.
I'm still using Liferea but unfortunately it has a lot of problems.
Yes I do have bug numbers:
-
Calls sync() many times while refreshing feeds
(#623619). This is
probably related to use of SQLite and not properly batching
writes. I work around this by using 'eatmydata' to nullify those
calls, but that's not ideal.
-
The UI thread also blocks on feed updates. Together with the
previous bug, this can make it unresponsive for minutes while
updating feeds
(#542276).
-
It often leaks memory and other resources when I play embedded
video (#660593).
-
There is no progress or 'busy' indicator for the browser
(#660595).
-
Error/prompt callbacks are not handled
(#660597) - for
example, if I follow a link that happens to lead to a PDF, nothing
happens.
-
There is no progress indicator for downloading 'enclosed' files
(typically podcast episodes), and errors are simply ignored
(#660599).
-
While updating feeds, it may reset the item pane back to the
summary (#660602).
So, I'm looking for an alternative again. My requirements are:
-
MAY be a desktop or web application.
-
If it's a web application, it MUST be reasonably secure, e.g. it
must not be written in PHP.
-
If it's a web application, it MUST allow for multiple independent
users on the same server.
-
If it's a desktop application, it MUST embed a browser engine
(presumably Gecko or WebKit) so I can follow links without
having to switch windows.
-
MUST support organisation of feeds by folders or tags, including
combined item lists.
-
MUST keep track of which items have been read.
-
MUST support a global 'unread items' list. SHOULD only remove
items from this list when I refresh it, not as soon as I move
away from an item.
-
SHOULD support a three-pane (folder/list/item) view or something
similar. Google Reader's list view with expanding items is
perhaps even better, though it means links must be opened in a
separate tab.
-
SHOULD support folder and item navigation by keyboard.
-
SHOULD have some way to flag/bookmark items for later attention.
-
If it's a desktop application, it SHOULD have some sort of
download manager to support podcasts.
posted at: 05:03 | path: / | permanent link to this entry