Chrome “Feed” is tantalizing, but it’s not the return of Google Reader
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Does Google get pleasure from teasing and generally outright torturing a few of its merchandise’s most devoted followers? It will possibly appear that method.
Tucked away inside a current bleeding-edge Chrome construct is a “Following feed” that has some bloggers dreaming of the return of Google Reader. It is unlikely, however by no means say by no means in terms of Google product selections.
Chrome added a sidebar for shopping bookmarks and Studying Record articles again in March. Over the weekend, the Chrome Story weblog noticed a new flag in Gerrit, the unstable testing construct of Chrome’s open supply counterpart Chromium. Enabling that #following-feed-sidepanel flag (now additionally accessible in Chrome’s testing construct, Canary) provides one other choice to the sidebar: Feed.
Feeds? Like RSS feeds, the type we as soon as had in dear, departed Google Reader, slain for the sins of Google+?
Kevin Tofel of About Chromebooks thinks so. Tofel writes that the underlying code of the characteristic “strongly suggests” an RSS-based feed reader, primarily based on the precise language of “internet feeds.” Then once more, that very same code part, powering the interplay between browser and sidebar. Note that it is going to be “the interface that Uncover Feed content material… will use to speak with the browser.”
There’s some ambiguity there—but in addition, proof that Google reader is sticking with its long-gestating efforts. To harness the open RSS customary within the Google ecosystem of “Comply with.”
The “Comply with” button was launched in a Chrome for Android experiment in Could 2021. Following a web site allowed you to see its newest updates. In a tab in your Chrome “new tab” web page. Just like the “Uncover” house web page characteristic on many Android telephones. The characteristic trickled into the Chromium Gerrit desktop builds earlier this year, and a “Comply with” button is now accessible in Chrome Canary.
Final week, Chrome updated its guidance for web site house owners trying to have readers “Comply with” their websites, asking them to make feed titles descriptive and to pick a single feed for readers as a substitute of providing a number of sections.
Chrome-watching blogs like to boost the specter of Google Reader in headlines. When discussing Google’s makes an attempt to show apps and gadgets into content material hubs. Nevertheless, it’s extremely unlikely that Google would make investments a lot into placing. Uncover-like feeds into its telephones, web-based laptops, browsers, search engine, Nest hubs, and extra. Merely to give up and say, “Really, we’ll simply present you your headlines once more.”. Uncover feeds are additionally an area that Google controls. So it might probably infuse them with promoting, which it might probably do with RSS.
Fortunately, there’s a longtime marketplace for old-school and reimagined RSS readers—and a few very good options. Talking of which, Ars Technica provides multiple segmented RSS feeds for readers. You too can add /feed/ to the top of any creator web page URL for author-specific feeds, like so.
