Rodent Regatta

Too much of today has been spent learning what OPML files are and can do, what the import/export features of RSS readers allow and what the differences are between SharpReader and FeedDemon.

These products are simply different and may be targeted to different audiences. There are so many things to like in both of them. I’ve moved well over 300 RSS feed back and forth between the two while testing things like import/export by category or listing group. For day-to-day production work over the next week or two (or more), I’ll be using SharpReader.

I’ll continue to test and experiment with FeedDemon. I haven’t even begun to appreciate some of its most highly-touted features. Things like ”news bins” and ”watches” are not set up in my installation right now. I’ll learn more and report back.

In the meantime the most striking thing I’ve found has to do with software maturity and the nomenclature used to describe the software. I’m running SharpReader version 0.9.1.3. I’m running FeedDemon version 1.0 beta 1a. By my estimation SharpReader ought to be at about version 1.5 beta 1 OR FeedDemon ought to be at version 0.4.0.1.

We’ll see how the feature set for FeedDemon unfolds over time. We’ll also see what the pricing of these two products turns out to be.

SharpReader renders the images on my weblog correctly within the feed reader. I use relative references for any images I post to my weblog. Currently, FeedDemon does not handle relative references, so you’ll see a placeholder for an image if you read my weblog with FeedDemon.

Also, FeedDemon limits you to 150 RSS feeds per ”listing” or grouping. If you want to import to a listing, you’ve got to make sure you are importing fewer than 150 feeds. If you want to export your feeds from FeedDemon, you can only do so by listing. In other words, if you have 10 listings or groupings with 10 feeds in each, you’ve got to do 10 exports and create 10 OPML files.

SharpReader allows you to group feeds into ”categories,” but you can export the entire list of feeds you are subscribed to. Exporting does NOT keep track of your categories, so importing them into another reader requires that you drag and drop them into the proper groupings.