[jlarocco]

Can somebody explain the appeal of Google Reader and why people are making such a big deal of it shutting down? I've tried it a few times, and I just don't see the appeal.

RSS readers are a dime a dozen, and Google Reader is mediocre, at best. The interface isn't great, it's tied to a Google+/GMail account, and there's no way to subscribe to RSS feeds on an internal network.

I feel like I must be missing something.

[ludwigvan]

I guess it is the service (unofficial api) it provided (syncing bt. multiple devices) as opposed to the website itself.

[jdechko]

Exactly, the web UI was mediocre at best, and went downhill the more they tied it to G+. But as a RSS syncing platform it was/is great.

[chadgeidel]

The UI kept mostly out of the way. I could read it at any computer (and I read my feeds at at least 3 different machines). And the "killer feature" is/was that my feeds loaded instantly. I did not have to wait for every one of my 250+ feeds to open when I opened my "RSS reader".

I'm currently subscribed to NewsBlur and I have to wait for my feeds to load. It's not such a big deal as the UI is brilliant, but it's still annoying.

I'm trying out Feedly but I'm concerned about the behavior when Google Reader goes away since that's just a UI on top of what Google provides.

I'm still waiting in the import queue in The Old Reader.

[BCM43]

I'm currently subscribed to NewsBlur and I have to wait for my feeds to load. It's not such a big deal as the UI is brilliant, but it's still annoying.

It was less than half a second before a huge influx of users. Hopefully it will be down to what it was before when the scaling gets set up better.

[simcop2387]

I've currently setup a tinytinyrss install on my VPS. I'm actually liking it better than feedly. I haven't gotten a chance to checkout newsblur as much as I'd like, but i do like that it too can be setup by a user to run on it's own (I don't want to pay for an account just yet until i learn if i like it). The 64 feed limit is disappointing but i can completely understand it.

[taylorishere]

It destroyed the competition as it was growing, and became the backbone of multiple services. Imagine you have all your documents on Dropbox, in multiple applications, and then Dropbox shuts down. Dropbox is already a part of your workflow, but now you have to find an alternative for the apps you use.

[geuis]

In my case, I have mainly used it as a podcast listener. There has never been a really good podcast-dedicated site that suited me well. But Reader does. I can play a podcast in place, easily see visually when new ones were available, easily import new feeds if I couldn't find it via Reader, etc. I'm sad this is going away. Seems very arbitrary and unnecessary.