« Comparative Feature Analyses

Purpose

Examine a bunch of browsers, existing Firefox Add-ons, and web services to generate a report that describes:

• Which features are available
• How each handles a list of use cases (below)
• A summary of where each is different/unique
• Some conclusions about which aspects seem most innovative and interesting that we might want to consider for Firefox

Research

Browsers to investigate

• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Apple Safari
• Opera
• Camino
• SeaMonkey
• Netscape
• Maxthon
• OmniWeb
• Shiira
• Flock
• iCab
•  ???

General browser notes

• Platform support (Win, OSX, Linux, others?)
• Produced by (company/organization)
• Based on what other browser/rendering engine, if any?
• Date of last browser update, if known
• Price
• Open Source? If so, under what license?

Firefox Add-ons to investigate

Extensions related to Web Feeds

• Sage link
• Whiz RSS link
• RSS Ticker link
• News Fox link
• OPML Support link
• Reliby link
• Update Scanner link
• LiveClick link

Web services and other apps to investigate

Web services

• Google Reader
• Bloglines
• My Yahoo!
• NewsGator

Other apps

• NetNewsWire (associated with NewsGator)
• Endo
• NewsFire
• Vienna
• Thunderbird

Use Cases

Web Feeds/Live Bookmarks

• Receive notification of available web feed
• Subscribe to a web feed locally
• Subscribe to web feed using another service
• Receive indication that I am already subscribed to a feed
• Modify a subscribed web feed
• Update/Refresh a subscribed web feed
• Receive notification of new subscribed web feed items
• View all subscribed web feeds
• View properties of a single subscribed web feed
• View new items from one or more selected web feeds
• View new items from all selected web feeds
• Mark one web feed item as read
• Mark selected web feed items as read
• Mark all web feed items as read
• Visit source of web feed item
• Remove a web feed
• Organize web feeds
• Tag web feeds
• Group web feeds
• Sort web feeds
• Content retrieval (none, title, summary, full text, full content, +enclosures)
• Content archiving (keep for X hours/days, keep forever, etc)

Other Features

List the other Web feed-related features a browser, add-on, or web service has if not listed above.

Results

Summary of unique and/or innovative features

Conclusions

References

• Dria's "On Web Feeds"