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Show HN: Forked and updated the Chrome RSS subscription extension Google removed

35 points by justinkelly 14y ago

justinkelly 14y ago
Hi Guys Like many on the list I'm a heavy chrome and rss user. Though the demise of Google Reader is no great surprise I was grumpy that Google removed the RSS Subscription extension from the Chrome webstore. I've forked Google's extension, updated it and loaded back into the Chrome webstore. Added support for Feedly, NewsBlur and The Old Reader. Removed Google Reader, iReader, My Yahoo Also code is now up on github * https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-extensio/bmjffnfcokiodbeiamclanljnaheeoke https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-e... * https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss Cheers Justin
- mindcrime 14y ago
  Awesome, thanks! Can this also bounce the subscribe request to an offline reader like RSSOwl? If not, how hard would it be to implement something like that?
  - justinkelly 14y ago
    this extension can't at the moment, but there is an extension that does * https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscriptions-with-fe/ehojfdcmnajoklleckniaifaijfnkpbi https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscriptions-...
- webwanderings 14y ago
  Nice effort. Have decided to move off of Chrome, so preparing Firefox and all.
  - justinkelly 14y ago
    thanks - i think alot of others will join you in jumping ship
  - ishansharma 14y ago
    Me too. Already jumped and Firefox is quite fast and light as compared to Chrome. You'll enjoy it.
crazysim 14y ago
Any idea on the licensing issues? It would be great if Google "released" the source.
- justinkelly 14y ago
  Google's Chrome extensions are BSD like license Assuming you've installed the extension you can grab its source from Chrome .config directory * which I imported and updated to github: https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss The actual original source in SVN/Git may already be public but i've no idea where it is - somewhere deep in the chromium repo??
  - nsmartt 14y ago
    It isn't that I don't believe you, but I don't see a license file in any of the Google-owned extensions I have installed. Source?
    - justinkelly 14y ago
      refer the header is this file i imported into github * https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss/blob/master/common.js https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss/blob/master/common... 
  - crazysim 14y ago
    I wouldn't call the Google Talk extension to be under the BSD license even though it is Google's. This extension is far simpler than that though. As for the original source, it's not in the Chromium repo: https://code.google.com/p/chromium/codesearch#search/&q=manifest.json%20RSS&sq=package:chromium&type=cs https://code.google.com/p/chromium/codesearch#search/&q=...
    - justinkelly 14y ago
      @crazysim - this is from the source of the extension
latraveler 14y ago
I asked this question on SO the other day, perhaps someone here knows a solution ... For the past few years I've been using Google Reader to archive my Twitter and Facebook history for various reasons. Obviously yesterday's news really threw a wrench in everything. My problem ... I need a way to export every 'article' from 3 subscriptions I have (not just the subscription URL) and import those into a good RSS reader (open to suggestions). Anyone have any advice? http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/41671/google-reader-export-import-rss-article-history http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/41671/google-read...
- tomschlick 14y ago
  facebook and twitter both allow you to export data directly from them in a human & machine readable format (nice html pages along with json)... why would you use rss instead?
  - RexRollman 14y ago
    It the case of Twitter, that is a really recent development. Perhaps the poster's workflow predates that?
josteink 14y ago
At this point, it seems like working with Google technologies (like Chrome and reader) is turning more into doing a uphill battle where you have to hack your way to an end, as opposed to just doing what you want. At that point, why not just use something open and welcoming instead?
- platinum1 14y ago
  How is being able to fork an open source extension to an open source web browser an "uphill battle" and not "open and welcoming?"
  - josteink 14y ago
    Currently Chrome is not an open-source browser. Chromium is. As for Chrome, unless you are willing to go through hoops, it is only willing to install extensions from the Chrome Web Store. You are now jumping through hoops to reinstall something you had installed which Google removed from their web-store. Now Google which is your application (Chrome) and service (Reader)-provider, is working against you instead of enabling you. It didn't use to be that way, but now Google has changed. That's the uphill battle. That's the not enabling part. That's the not open and welcoming. Contrast that to for instance Firefox and you will find a completely different picture. Firefox has no mixed interests here, and that means they wont pull moves like this.

35 points by justinkelly 14y ago

Hi Guys Like many on the list I'm a heavy chrome and rss user. Though the demise of Google Reader is no great surprise I was grumpy that Google removed the RSS Subscription extension from the Chrome webstore. I've forked Google's extension, updated it and loaded back into the Chrome webstore. Added support for Feedly, NewsBlur and The Old Reader. Removed Google Reader, iReader, My Yahoo Also code is now up on github * https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-extensio/bmjffnfcokiodbeiamclanljnaheeoke https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-e... * https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss Cheers Justin

mindcrime 14y ago
Awesome, thanks! Can this also bounce the subscribe request to an offline reader like RSSOwl? If not, how hard would it be to implement something like that?
- justinkelly 14y ago
  this extension can't at the moment, but there is an extension that does * https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscriptions-with-fe/ehojfdcmnajoklleckniaifaijfnkpbi https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscriptions-...
webwanderings 14y ago
Nice effort. Have decided to move off of Chrome, so preparing Firefox and all.
- justinkelly 14y ago
  thanks - i think alot of others will join you in jumping ship
- ishansharma 14y ago
  Me too. Already jumped and Firefox is quite fast and light as compared to Chrome. You'll enjoy it.

crazysim 14y ago

Any idea on the licensing issues? It would be great if Google "released" the source.

justinkelly 14y ago
Google's Chrome extensions are BSD like license Assuming you've installed the extension you can grab its source from Chrome .config directory * which I imported and updated to github: https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss The actual original source in SVN/Git may already be public but i've no idea where it is - somewhere deep in the chromium repo??
- nsmartt 14y ago
  It isn't that I don't believe you, but I don't see a license file in any of the Google-owned extensions I have installed. Source?
  - justinkelly 14y ago
    refer the header is this file i imported into github * https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss/blob/master/common.js https://github.com/justinkelly/chrome-rss/blob/master/common... 
- crazysim 14y ago
  I wouldn't call the Google Talk extension to be under the BSD license even though it is Google's. This extension is far simpler than that though. As for the original source, it's not in the Chromium repo: https://code.google.com/p/chromium/codesearch#search/&q=manifest.json%20RSS&sq=package:chromium&type=cs https://code.google.com/p/chromium/codesearch#search/&q=...
  - justinkelly 14y ago
    @crazysim - this is from the source of the extension

latraveler 14y ago

I asked this question on SO the other day, perhaps someone here knows a solution ... For the past few years I've been using Google Reader to archive my Twitter and Facebook history for various reasons. Obviously yesterday's news really threw a wrench in everything. My problem ... I need a way to export every 'article' from 3 subscriptions I have (not just the subscription URL) and import those into a good RSS reader (open to suggestions). Anyone have any advice? http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/41671/google-reader-export-import-rss-article-history http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/41671/google-read...

tomschlick 14y ago
facebook and twitter both allow you to export data directly from them in a human & machine readable format (nice html pages along with json)... why would you use rss instead?
- RexRollman 14y ago
  It the case of Twitter, that is a really recent development. Perhaps the poster's workflow predates that?

josteink 14y ago

At this point, it seems like working with Google technologies (like Chrome and reader) is turning more into doing a uphill battle where you have to hack your way to an end, as opposed to just doing what you want. At that point, why not just use something open and welcoming instead?

platinum1 14y ago
How is being able to fork an open source extension to an open source web browser an "uphill battle" and not "open and welcoming?"
- josteink 14y ago
  Currently Chrome is not an open-source browser. Chromium is. As for Chrome, unless you are willing to go through hoops, it is only willing to install extensions from the Chrome Web Store. You are now jumping through hoops to reinstall something you had installed which Google removed from their web-store. Now Google which is your application (Chrome) and service (Reader)-provider, is working against you instead of enabling you. It didn't use to be that way, but now Google has changed. That's the uphill battle. That's the not enabling part. That's the not open and welcoming. Contrast that to for instance Firefox and you will find a completely different picture. Firefox has no mixed interests here, and that means they wont pull moves like this.