One Blue Sky

1. What is RSS?
A set of commands. ATOM is much the same. Both are tools like subscription forms, and both use XML to organize the content you can subscribe to.

2. What’s XML?
A code like Java or HTML. But it doesn’t work the same way. Java/HTML is in the foreground like an author – it writes and creates the content. XML is in the background like a storyteller – it reads the content and describes it to RSS. After a quick techie moment, RSS translates the description into clickable feeds or streams which you bookmark or plug into a reader.

3. What’s a Reader?
An aggregator or a tool box that displays RSS feeds in compact form – news stories as quick headlines, photographs and videos as thumbnails etc. Most readers can display hundreds of feeds at a glance – depending on your layout, and the display is dynamic – it updates automatically or whenever you refresh the page. I use Netvibes to handle my feeds, and various widgets (widgets explained).

 

4. Types of Reader
Desktop, web based or mobile with sub-groups to suit all platforms. The list below is from Open Directory. It has over 200 readers to choose from. There’s a price tag on some choices but most are free of charge.

- Windows, Mac
- Linux, Java
- Firefox
- Web based
- Email based
- Mobile

 

5. Recommends
Opinions vary as to which reader is best. Bloglines, My Yahoo! and Google Reader get plenty of plaudits but other readers are just as good. It all depends on how you want your feeds presented and the range of extras – toys/widgets you want to play with. For ideas see the the Life Rocks! Top 10

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6. Common Craft
A group of down-to-earth developers. They’re great at translating techie-speak into plain English. Take a look at their excellent vid on RSS.

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- Check your reader on Top 100 Tools
- Mac readers
- More Mac readers
- Bloggers
- RSS explained: Search Engine Watch

Fenkell

Cleaners, sweepers and washers. There are loads to choose from. A sample list on Hot-Shareware gives you an idea of what’s out there. I’ve got Tracks Eraser Pro on trial at the moment and it runs extremely well. Temp files, cookies, history and a whole list of others are swiftly cleaned within 30-60 seconds.

The cleaner covers your main browser, other browsers you might be running, and a list of applications including your mailbox.

There’s a Custom feature which allows you to add applications not specified in the list, and the Options and Settings are neatly tabbed so you can fine-tune the cleaning process. And if you have sensitive files to dump, the File Shredder will come in handy.

No drawbacks come to mind, and at $29.95, the Pro is well priced compared to its competitors. I plan to trial a couple of others before I commit.

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Image credits:
1. Maproom
2. ColinJ

* First Published
18 Sept 2007. See original

In the regular world a widget is a ‘gubbins’ or a ‘thingy’ i.e. an object that doesn’t have a name. In the techie world a widget is a piece of software. From the view-point of the developer or programmer, widgets are scripts and technical components like menus, buttons and scrollers that are used to make groovy things.

From the view-point of the user, those groovy things are the tools, widgets and apps we just love to play around with like clocks, countdowns, trackers, calendars, webcams, weather guides, games, feeds, radios, photos, contacts, news feeds, radios, photos, tickers… The list goes on bit.

Essentially widgets are an A-Z of accessories for your desktop, website or mobile.

In the widget wonderland that is now the web, blogs and personal pages on MySpace or Facebook can be swamped in them ad nauseam. NO!! I don’t want a fcukin Poke! You wangka! And you can stuff your mu€a-fcukin FoodFights and Vampire suk-offs up your stinking fcukin buttwhole! You tossa!

Some apps are worth avoiding.

Desktop widgets have been around for a while, the first collections were pioneered by Yahoo’s Konfabulator so Yahoo is a great place to root around. It has a giant toolkit of easy to download accessories and there’s manual for developers. Much the same is offered by Google and Microsoft. Apple runs its own rather magical Dashboard, and for users of other operating systems or browsers like Unix or Firefox, there are endless plug-ins or extensions.

Mac Dashboard

Website widgets are relative newbies on the scene but they’ve quickly caught the imagination because they’re easy to manage, fun to use, and gorgeous to look at. So they’re rolling through the web like a happy circus and everyone’s getting in on the act. Major sites have widgets of their own and there’s a growing number of dedicated engines full of ‘my webpage’ toys and ‘How To’ guides to help you craft accessories of your own. And since most of the toys are free, you don’t need to shell out unless there’s something you’re really keen on. A couple of engines and fun sites are listed below.

♣ Widgets Lab
♣ Spring Widgets
♣ Protopage
♣ FancyGens
♣ Widgipedia

* First Published 09 Sept 2007. See original