Are there any RSS Readers that are trying to integrate ActivityPub too? Pondering the glut of email newsletters in our inboxes these days, and wondering if we are due for an RSS Reader renaissance, except with a fediverse twist this time…
@ricmac I thought @NetNewsWire had this on their roadmap…
@tchambers @NetNewsWire Ohhh, I hope so
@ricmac @NetNewsWire Hi Brent @brentsimmons - did I remember this right? Is ActivityPub support on the roadmap for #NetNewsWire?
@tchambers @ricmac @NetNewsWire @brentsimmons this would be so good. Portability of RSS feeds without setting it all up again between providers.
@tchambers @ricmac @NetNewsWire The answer required a blog post. :) https://inessential.com/2023/12/17/on_mastodon_support_in_netnewswire
@brentsimmons @ricmac @NetNewsWire Lots of great thinking here - and do think your direction here makes sense….
@brentsimmons @ricmac @NetNewsWire Maybe the experience should be as you said a seamless reading experience …but if you enter a mastodon account it grabs the RSS automatically for reading, but then if you wish to interact there is UI that links to Mastodon web UX to interact….
@brentsimmons Regarding improving the Mastodon RSS experience, is it possible, without complicating the rest of the way the app works, to expand/load links from the posts in Reader View?
For example, your toot that I'm replying to. If I load that in NNW, it's just a short item with a link. Can Reader View load the blog post? One way I use Mastodon RSS is accounts that post interesting links, would be nice to be able to read those links in-app.
Too awkward/different?
@brentsimmons @tchambers @ricmac @NetNewsWire what about to support the ActivityStreams format besides of RSS, kind of in the same way as you already did with JSONFeed?
```
curl "https://mastodon.social/@pfefferle" \
-H 'Accept: application/activity+json'
```
That would make NetNewsWire a generic ActivityPub compatible reader without changing the experience?!?
@pfefferle @brentsimmons @tchambers @ricmac @NetNewsWire
Blows my mind (in a bad way) that no feedreader has implemented that yet. Such a low hanging fruit, no? What are we missing here?
@brentsimmons @tchambers @ricmac @NetNewsWire
This is why I asked to transform the json of the public feed in a RSS output.
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/21500
I think it would be useful to have a server as a "magazine" if the admin allows it.
Great for exploration of topics and user discovery.
@ricmac The Vivaldi browser integrates an RSS reader, a mail client, and a Mastodon instance.
@RandomCanuck @ricmac there's an instance in the browser? I couldn't find anything about that on the website. Do you have a link?
I'm looking for something with an instance and ideally a solid pod. That could make a rather interesting user agent.
@vrandecic @ricmac Vivaldi runs their own instance. You have to set up a Vivaldi account, which then creates an account on the instance social.vivaldi.net. The feed is accessible from the Vivaldi sidebar menu.
@RandomCanuck @ricmac ah, gotcha! I thought a Vivaldi browser is a (single user) instance, which is what I'm looking for. Not merely an instance run by Vivaldi.
Still interesting, thanks!
@vrandecic that’s what I thought too. I’m seeking a range of interesting examples before I start tinkering on new projects next year. Looking for anything ActivityPub.
@RandomCanuck wasn’t there a browser that once tried to be a browser, RSS reader, and a mail client?
I vaguely recall using something like that… or maybe my memory sucks and it was just because you got spammed with full Web pages in your email before things got more locked down. 
@ricmac FWIW, most Mastodon servers let you follow someone as an RSS feed.
For example https://mastodon.social/@ricmac.rss
@Edent Good point; I was more thinking of the functionality @jaz noted here: https://toot.wales/@jaz/111569326262807195
@ricmac if you count @Flipboard , then they do.
@paul @Flipboard Oh yes, Flipboard absolutely leading the charge here, great point.
@ricmac @Flipboard I'd love to see other RSS readers do this too. I use @Inoreader and @readwisereader and would love to see #ActivityPub integration there.
@ricmac It's a good idea. Maybe something for https://github.com/cedricbonhomme/newspipe @cedric what do you think?
@ricmac Mastodon and some other fediverse implementations seem to implement rss feeds alongside ActivityPub. I was able to add https://oliphaunt.social/@reil.rss to my Nextcloud rss feeds, for example.
And it looks like Nextcloud got an ActivityPub app, too? I'll have to play around with that.
There are some solutions:
- @darius created a nice tool to create AP actors based on RSS feeds, see here: https://friend.camp/@darius/109304317556849251
This way you can follow RSS feeds from mastodon directly, and with the latest changes you can put them in their own lists so they don't drown your home timeline
- Friendica has allowed following RSS feeds along with AP accounts for a while, so you can directly share or reply entries
@ricmac big FriendFeed feels
@ricmac Flipboard does a reasonable job at RSS today but we are strengthening our RSS support significantly as we integrate ActivityPub.
I think RSS and ActivityPub are like peanut butter and chocolate and it will be awesome when they are combined.
@mike I'm still to figure out how to add a rss to Flipboard
@ricmac It's under discussion for FreshRSS, which would rip. github.com/FreshRSS/FreshRSS/discussions/5219
@ricmac I mean, this dissatisfaction with newsletters is why @indirect wrote https://feedyour.email…
@ricmac Newsblur allows you ti forward your newsletters to it, and they are then displayed as a feed. This is very useful, but not AP.
@ricmac the closest thing I know is @Flipboard .Rss feeds aren't its main focus, but you can add feeds by pasting the address to search bar and subscribing. And it is as committed to #fediverse as possible.
@ricmac I’m pretty sure that Feedbin supports Mastodon profiles, though I don’t think they support Activitypub more broadly
@jyc It’s tough because search is still not optimal on Mastodon. I would say the best bet is to follow people you know in your industry (you can search more effectively for people than for topics) and then follow the people *they* boost.