A novel application, Current, is revolutionizing the concept of the RSS reader. It endeavors to deliver a reading encounter akin to immersing oneself in a continuous flow of news, rather than perceiving it as a chore. Consequently, this application might render the utilization of RSS feeds for absorbing news and data more accessible to individuals who do not engage with news professionally or identify as ardent information enthusiasts.
Terry Godier, the creator of Current, remarked that he consistently experienced a sense of culpability upon revisiting his feed reader subsequent to a short absence. He ascribed these emotions to the prevalent design of most readers, which often mimicked email inboxes, complete with tallies of unread items and prominent text highlighting fresh entries.
“The unread tally in email signifies something precise: these are communications from actual individuals who have addressed you, and, in certain instances, are actively anticipating your reply. This figure is not merely impartial data; it represents a metric of social obligation,” Godier articulated in a blog entry detailing the genesis of Current, a personal endeavor he pursued in his leisure hours.
“However, by implementing an identical visual paradigm to RSS…we inadvertently introduced the apprehension without its underlying justification,” he stated.
For individuals who are not acquainted with it, RSS, an acronym for Really Simple Syndication, denotes a protocol enabling users to retrieve current data from websites in an organized manner. As an illustration, fresh headlines and pieces from one’s preferred news portal would manifest as novel, unread records within the RSS reader (also known as a news reader or feed reader) of one’s selection.
This protocol enjoyed immense popularity in the early 2000s, until Twitter’s debut in 2006 redirected individuals to an alternative platform for instantaneous news and data dissemination. In just a few years, users began abandoning Google’s widely favored RSS reader, Google Reader, opting instead for Twitter’s concise 140-character updates. Several more years thereafter, Google Reader ceased operations permanently. (Its absence is still felt.)
Nevertheless, RSS itself never vanished. Beyond serving as the foundational mechanism for podcast dissemination, one can still employ this format to syndicate content from websites via RSS applications such as Feedly, NetNewsWire, Inoreader, Reeder, among others.
Current, conversely, introduces an alternative RSS encounter. Rather than organizing feeds as inventories requiring processing, or unread tallies to be reduced to naught, the application’s primary interface is envisioned as a flowing river.
“One isn’t merely observing content idly float by as with a screensaver. It embodies a river in the crucial aspect that content emerges, persists for a duration, and subsequently dissipates,” Godier pens.
Each distinct piece of content undergoes a unique aging process, wherein entries gradually diminish in luminosity before completely disappearing and becoming imperceptible. Urgent news, for example, retains its prominence for a span of three hours, whereas routine news reports might endure for approximately 18 hours. Analytical essays linger for an extended period (three days), and enduring instructional articles persist within the river for a full week. As one navigates through this stream, they stay abreast of novel and engaging material, liberated from the obligation of manually designating items as read.
Upon configuring Current, users select one of five velocity settings for each source: Breaking, News, Article, Essay, or Tutorial. During reading, there’s no requirement to manually categorize items as read; instead, cards are simply propelled off the display with an extended leftward gesture, or by pressing the dismissal icon at the conclusion of a completed piece, which returns the user to the river. (An undo control is also present.)
Current additionally provides an array of other ingenious functionalities designed to delight RSS aficionados.
This application is capable of retrieving the complete article content from the internet, even when the website itself is configured to abbreviate its feeds (a common practice many sites employ to encourage direct visits). Furthermore, users can designate sources as webcomics to activate a reader interface prioritizing images. Options also exist to silence sources for a seven-day period and to affix essential ones to the river’s uppermost position.
The application also integrates a degree of discernment into your perusal journey: should a site inundate your feed, the app will advise you to either quiet or regulate its output. It moreover observes instances where you consistently bypass particular content or avidly engage with it, subsequently recommending either the deletion of infrequently read feeds or the pinning of those you frequently access.
Significantly, Current enables users to track individual authors within a dedicated section termed Voices. This feature distinguishes personal blogs or newsletters from feeds originating from major news organizations. By selecting any Voice, one can refine their feed to concentrate solely on that author’s material.
(It’s conceivable to follow specific authors within broader publications if their writers maintain separate RSS feeds. Here is an example of my own!)
Godier harbors an interest in pinpointing the creators behind the news, evidenced by his authorship of a specification named Byline, which incorporates authorial context into RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds.
“Voices” constitutes merely one of three integrated classifications, which Current designates simply as “currents” (thus deriving the application’s nomenclature). Additionally, there exists the primary feed, termed “River,” and the “Read Later” classification. Users possess the capability to establish personalized currents (such as “technology” or “design,” for instance), or await the application’s recommendations based on their reading tendencies.
In essence, the application employs nuanced details and aesthetic components such as typeface selections, interactive movements, and visual styles to render the perusal experience less demanding. This particular aspect can be valued even by fervent news consumers.
Current can be acquired as a singular transaction priced at $9.99 via Apple’s App Store, compatible with iOS, iPad, and Mac platforms. It encompasses iCloud Synchronization and OPML import functionalities. No in-app purchases or recurring subscriptions are involved. A web-based iteration is slated for future release.
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