Previously, I had been using an online RSS reader service. But I’ve hit the limits of the free version and I don’t want to add yet another monthly subscription payment. These monthly services for streaming TV, apps, subscriptions, web services and even charitable donations are starting to become quite a drain and I really don’t want to add any more. So I’m experimenting with switching back to an old school software RSS feed reader, so it resides on my computer not in the cloud.
Advantage: free software, no ads, no fees. No third party provider so privacy too.
Disadvantage: Not cross platform and no sync.
I went to my favorite review site and (re)found this article Best Free RSS Reader-Aggregator. Their top recommendation for a desktop RSS reader was: QuiteRSS
QuiteRSS is open source, free and multi-platform. It has Windows, macOS, Linux, OS/2 and more versions available. I’m using Pop_OS version of Linux which is derived from (downstream) Ubuntu and they have an Ubuntu version. Most any Ubuntu software will run on Pop_OS. Good. But the Ubuntu version requires an install from command line. This gives me pause, I’m not a fan of command line. But, frankly, this looks like the only full featured RSS reader I’m likely to find so I had to man-up and just do it.
The command line install, went smoothly, so I won’t bore you with the details. When I got done there was a nice friendly QuiteRSS icon in my software tray.
I clicked on that, and wonders, QuiteRSS ran! I added a feed and that worked perfectly.
My first impression is QuiteRSS runs smoothly and looks and feels polished and full featured. So much of FOSS, Linux software always seems to me, to be, not quite finished, but QuiteRSS is the exception to that experience. The UI is not very intuitive, but using the “Stupid Brad” principle - if I can figure it out then most people can figure it out. I don’t think you will have much of a problem. There are lots of customization options, it’s just that you have to dig a little to find them.
More after I use it.
