[ezkcdude]

http://googlereader.blogspot.com/201...-look-new.html

I can see why they're doing this, to drive traffic to Google+. I don't mind that, if they do it right. I had a ton of feeds in Reader. I hope existing apps can still use all those feeds.

It's funny, just yesterday I was telling my mom that she should feel comfortable putting all her pictures up on Picasa, because they'll never kill it. I won't make that assumption again.

[kieran]

Way to jump to a conclusion there dude.

Where does it day Google Reader is dead?....that's right, it doesn't.

Google is just bringing the social aspects of Reader to Google+ and updating Reader to the new (better) look that all of their web apps are getting.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by kieran Way to jump to a conclusion there dude.

Basically this.

Google Reader integration with Google+ has been expected (and arguably overdue) for a while now. I for one am glad to see this drive towards a more cohesive ecosystem.

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by kieran Way to jump to a conclusion there dude. Where does it day Google Reader is dead?....that's right, it doesn't. Google is just bringing the social aspects of Reader to Google+ and updating Reader to the new (better) look that all of their web apps are getting.

Oh, phew. I don't use those social features anyway.

[chucker]

They're killing some of the sharing features, not the product itself (nor the API to it).

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by chucker They're killing some of the sharing features, not the product itself (nor the API to it).

Yeah, it's clear to me now. Wasn't before, mostly because I was reading some hysterical headlines, like this one:

http://www.jonbois.com/2011/10/google-reader.html

[torifile]

I don't why they did what they did to the interface but it's terrible. There's like no contrast on the screen so it makes it really hard to scan the headline quickly.

[Mac+]

I've been using the Helvetireader style from Google Reader Tools for a while, so am not fussed by the visual change.

However, I was using GR as a bookmark tool (primary for work related stuff) complete with copious sharing notes and tags. Now, the sharing feature is gone! I have downloaded the json file, but opening it up in Excel looked a mess and OOPro won't open it.

I get the push for G+ integration, but losing (or making it hard to recover) all my shared bookmarks is a pain.

[Mac+]

Oh yeah, the note in Reader bookmarklet is dead too. Noooooo.

That was way too handy - I'll miss it.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Mac+ I have downloaded the json file, but opening it up in Excel looked a mess and OOPro won't open it.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation ) is a reasonably human-readable tree-like hierarchy format (try opening it in TextEdit), but it is not a format spreadsheet apps like Excel can understand because it is not 2-dimensional in nature. There are lots of tools (online and off) for reformatting JSON to add whitespace for easier reading. The first few hits in Google:

http://jsonformatter.curiousconcept.com/
http://jsonformat.com/
http://www.bodurov.com/JsonFormatter/

JSON is generally intended for programmers. So, the expectation is probably that some small third-party tools would crop up to help people use this exported file.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by torifile I don't why they did what they did to the interface but it's terrible. There's like no contrast on the screen so it makes it really hard to scan the headline quickly.

Also, this.

Egad, it is terrible in so many ways. Lots of excess whitespace, no contrast, no visual borders (unless you count the massive whitespace), and my personal least-favorite is that it lost the visual indication upon marking articles as read (the highlight border around the selected article used to dim).

I'll be counting the days until some of the Reader re-skinning extensions get updated.

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by Brad Also, this. Egad, it is terrible in so many ways. Lots of excess whitespace, no contrast, no visual borders (unless you count the massive whitespace), and my personal least-favorite is that it lost the visual indication upon marking articles as read (the highlight border around the selected article used to dim).

If you're in compact mode, when you click on a headline the boldface goes away and the background in title area turns gray. Overall, I actually have no problem with the new design. The old design was getting long in the tooth anyway. The best thing they did is move the Subscribe button to the top left, so it stands out more.

[kieran]

I just don't even bother with Google Reader on the web.

I do all of my RSS reading through Reeder on OS X and on iOS. Just a much better way of reading them.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by kieran I just don't even bother with Google Reader on the web. I do all of my RSS reading through Reeder on OS X and on iOS. Just a much better way of reading them.

I practically live in Reeder on my iOS devices. I don't have it for OS X but I might get it.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude If you're in compact mode…

Where is the compact mode option?

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by Brad Where is the compact mode option?

Another new feature (I think) is the little link out button on the right side next to the date/time that lets you go straight to the website. You used to have to click on the headline and then click it again. (At least, I can't remember having a more direct way to do it.)

[ezkcdude]

Some useful shortcuts I never knew about:

http://lifehacker.com/5625876/google...-new-shortcuts

f = fullscreen (full window really)
u = get rid of sidebar (article says Shift+u, but that didn't work for me)

[chucker]

Originally Posted by kieran I just don't even bother with Google Reader on the web. I do all of my RSS reading through Reeder on OS X and on iOS. Just a much better way of reading them.

This. I can only see the appeal of an RSS Web app for the case where your own machine isn't nearby, like at an airport kiosk (at which point, these days, your phone is likely a better choice), or where native choices suck (poor Windows users).

On your own Mac or iPhone, though, I can't see the benefit.

[torifile]

Silvio Rizzi just got another $10 of my money.

[kieran]

Reeder is great on both OS X and iOS.

It's nice that I work at a company that is all Mac based so that I can use Reeder all day too.

[dmegatool]

Feedly for the win. Chrome/Firefox extension and mobile app !