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:

  1. MAY be a desktop or web application.
  2. If it's a web application, it MUST be reasonably secure, e.g. it must not be written in PHP.
  3. If it's a web application, it MUST allow for multiple independent users on the same server.
  4. 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.
  5. MUST support organisation of feeds by folders or tags, including combined item lists.
  6. MUST keep track of which items have been read.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. SHOULD support folder and item navigation by keyboard.
  10. SHOULD have some way to flag/bookmark items for later attention.
  11. If it's a desktop application, it SHOULD have some sort of download manager to support podcasts.