TechMiso

The number of feed readers available for consumption is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of the number of grains of sand on the beautiful long beaches of Bali – innumerable. Although there are countless client options, there is one specific feed reading choice that is quite limited – the option to read feeds using a web-based service or through a desktop feed reading application.

I think I have tested every single web-based feed reading service known to mankind. Playing around and testing web-based feed readers used to be an obsession of mine back before the Google Reader coup d’état. I remember falling in love with this simple yet elegant feed reader called NewsHutch. It offered the best set of features of any feed reader before it was put to death. But I digress.

There are pros and cons to using either type of feed reader. Ultimately it boils down to your needs and desires, and what works best with your workflow. Here are a few things to consider when taking that feed reading plunge.

• Web-based feed readers allow access no matter where you are in the world, so long as you have access to the Internet. If you can reach Google, then the chances are quite good that you can also reach Google Reader! Contrast that to a desktop feed reader which requires an installation be executed on the workstation you intend to use. If your only access to the Internet is through a hotel kiosk of some sort, rest assured you will be learning how to use a web-based feed reader if you consider your feed reading a vital task.
• Desktop feed readers offer greater control over your feeds, especially when it comes to the polling frequency. By allowing users to configure the polling interval for updating feeds, data is pulled considerably faster than through a web-based feed reader. What this means for you, the user, is that you may be alerted to new and important information significantly earlier than if you were using a web-based feed reader.
• Web-based feed readers are less taxing on system resources because the service provider performs all the feed updating. On your desktop, a feed-reading application consumes system resources and bandwidth while polling for updated data to be presented.
• Desktop feed readers are far more flexible and offer integration with other installed desktop applications. If you blog, using a desktop feed reader may be the way to go because data can be shared between blogging software a whole lot easier through a desktop feed reader than via a web-based service. NetNewsWire offers some exceptional integration worth looking in to.

There are a host of scenarios calling for either type of feed reader, all dependent upon the situation and the temperament of the user. Choosing really boils down to what you feel the most comfortable with and what is more productive.

For example, if you frequently transit between different workstations on differing platforms, then a feed reading application may not be the optimal solution. In this case, if, say, you use OS X at home but Windows XP at work, then finding a good solution to read and manage your feeds from both locations is extremely limited.

In our example, selecting a web-based feed reader is the optional solution. Doing so ensures whatever you already read at work is not yet again presented to you once you return home. This cuts down on the amount of redundant information you must sift through before being presented with new, important data.

Additionally, rarely are people allowed to install software at work, especially when such an installation does not facilitate improved work productivity. Maybe if you can convince your boss that reading 500+ feeds every day during the work day is better for your work output then they will oblige.

Ultimately I found, for me anyhow, that opting for a web-based feed reader was the best solution. I have not found a decent desktop feed reader which fully and completely satisfies what I desire in a feed reader. If someone comes along and replicates the entire Google Reader experience in a polished, NewsFire-like interface then I will consider a desktop feed reader. Until then, Google Reader and I are lovers forever!