'Subscribe to Feed' Extension Puts RSS Button Back in Safari 6

[MacRumors]

As part of the streamlining of Safari 6, Apple removed a number of items from the main toolbar including the dedicated Google search box and the button that allowed users to easily subscribe to RSS feeds right from the toolbar.

The lack of a Google Search box doesn't affect much as users can now search by typing within the address box, much like in Google Chrome. The lack of an RSS button is a bit trickier, however.

Safari no longer includes RSS detection and one-click subscriptions to RSS feeds. For users looking to get that button back, Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software -- makers of software products like MarsEdit and Black Ink -- has created a "beta-quality, more-or-less unsupported" Safari Extension called Subscribe to Feed.

[The] extension adds a handy button to the toolbar that, when a page offers RSS or Atom feeds, can be clicked to easily open the feed:// link, which should automatically open your favorite news reader.

The extension works as advertised, however it falls flat when used on a website with multiple RSS feeds. MacRumors, for example, has four RSS feeds listed -- one for the Front Page, two more for the Mac and iOS Blogs, and one feed that lists every post to the site.

We've reached out to Jalkut to ask if this limitation is something that could be easily remedied.

Update: Daniel Jalkut, the designer of the extension, says he'll "be looking into" the multiple RSS feed issue.

Article Link: 'Subscribe to Feed' Extension Puts RSS Button Back in Safari 6

[faroZ06]

Everyone complain about Apple randomly removing RSS from Mail in Mountain Lion here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Geez, now I'm definitely staying at Snow Leopard if they don't clean up their act.

[Stike]

Ah, Apple removing features once again.

Not exactly surprising. What useful feature will be killed next?

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Originally Posted by faroZ06

Everyone complain about Apple randomly removing RSS from Mail in Mountain Lion here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Geez, now I'm definitely staying at Snow Leopard if they don't clean up their act.

or... you could just use this extension??

[dokujaryu]

I object to it being called the "Google Search box". It works with Bing and Yahoo as well. It's just a search box.

[Stike]

Originally Posted by Mad Mac Maniac

or... you could just use this extension??

The problem is feature removal without making sense. It's not like RSS feeds went down like MySpace.

Also, Apple recently makes (smaller) headlines with the constant removal of features without any explanation. They apparently just don't want to maintain some things, cutting cost, increasing profits yadda yadda.

Rosetta - gone since Lion
Airport Utility - dumbed down, features removed
Safari RSS - gone
Personal Web Sharing in Mountain Lion - gone

I bet this list is far longer, and this is the reason I have one computer still on Snow Leopard and one on Lion. I wont use ML if more useful features are being removed.

And yes, I am angry at Apple about this. Computers are productivity machines and the level of productivity rises together with the amount of features and options. They are NOT iPads with keyboards.

[faroZ06]

Originally Posted by Mad Mac Maniac

or... you could just use this extension??

The extension is for Safari, not Mail

[neroroxxx]

their new inspector just ruined my day, i had the beta and i had the old inspector enabled but now there's no option, it really is sad that they messed it up so bad for a web developer....

[hexor]

Originally Posted by dokujaryu

I object to it being called the "Google Search box". It works with Bing and Yahoo as well. It's just a search box.

I agree. Calling it that also misses the fact that Apple made it more difficult to switch what search engine you used. You could use the little popup in the search field to switch what search engine to use. Now you can not do that in Safari 6 unless you go to the safari preferences dialog. I major PITA.

[talmy]

Originally Posted by Stike

I bet this list is far longer

Sure is. At least since I started, mid '00s, we've lost Sherlock, Internet Explorer, Appleworks, "Classic", FrontRow, iSync, iWeb, iDVD, the "good" iMovie and Final Cut, Expose/Spaces, FTP server, iWork.com, MobileMe and .Mac. Plus what you mentioned.

However, I'm very happy with Mountain Lion and wouldn't want to go back to the lost stuff I've mentioned.

[bmk]

Originally Posted by Mad Mac Maniac

or... you could just use this extension??

It is incredibly annoying when genuine problems and issues are dealt with by smug, idiotic comments like yours.

And not only is is annoying it just reveals you as being a grade one dimwit for not understanding the problem in the first place.

----------

Originally Posted by talmy

Sure is. At least since I started, mid '00s, we've lost Sherlock, Internet Explorer, Appleworks, "Classic", FrontRow, iSync, iWeb, iDVD, the "good" iMovie and Final Cut, Expose/Spaces, FTP server, iWork.com, MobileMe and .Mac. Plus what you mentioned.

And don't forget the neutered Quicktime 10 with all the tweaking and editing features taken out..

[Stike]

Originally Posted by talmy

Sure is. At least since I started, mid '00s, we've lost Sherlock, Internet Explorer, Appleworks, "Classic", FrontRow, iSync, iWeb, iDVD, the "good" iMovie and Final Cut, Expose/Spaces, FTP server, iWork.com, MobileMe and .Mac. Plus what you mentioned.

However, I'm very happy with Mountain Lion and wouldn't want to go back to the lost stuff I've mentioned.

I get your point, there are things that are okay to leave behind... but come on, Rosetta? PPC Apps? Why remove this, it just sucks :-/

Not sure if I should take the plunge. A friend uses Mail as RSS reader, why should he lose this and buy an RSS app instead, for example?

Also... Diablo 2. 'nuff said.

BTW you should update your signature

[Zyphras]

That giant blue "Reader" button is a bit too Windows XP-esque for my tastes.

[gnurf]

No RSS feed button in the address bar, no RSS support in Mail from ML on, and no way to tell the system what program to launch when clicking an RSS feed. What the hell, Apple?

[Zyphras]

I don't care if Reeder has more features. I liked having all my blog/news/Apple rumour RSS feeds in three separate folders on the toolbar, which would show the number of new items that are there.

I am convinced that their mindset was to make it more like Safari for iOS.

[talmy]

Originally Posted by Stike

I get your point, there are things that are okay to leave behind... but come on, Rosetta? PPC Apps? Why remove this, it just sucks :-/

Apparently they were licensing Rosetta from IBM. There are stories about this. Apple has never been a company that believes in backwards compatibility. Legacy features are dropped quickly! On the other hand at work I run programs written in the 1980's under a 10 year old Windows XP on a year old HP Workstation. Of course it makes the PCs bloated with all the baggage they have to carry around.

Not sure if I should take the plunge. A friend uses Mail as RSS reader, why should he lose this and buy an RSS app instead, for example?

I just use Google Reader. I used to use the Firefox browser for this. I suspect there is RSS support in Chrome. No reason to buy anything.

[mabaker]

Originally Posted by Stike

The problem is feature removal without making sense. It's not like RSS feeds went down like MySpace.

Also, Apple recently makes (smaller) headlines with the constant removal of features without any explanation. They apparently just don't want to maintain some things, cutting cost, increasing profits yadda yadda.

Rosetta - gone since Lion
Airport Utility - dumbed down, features removed
Safari RSS - gone
Personal Web Sharing in Mountain Lion - gone

I bet this list is far longer, and this is the reason I have one computer still on Snow Leopard and one on Lion. I wont use ML if more useful features are being removed.

And yes, I am angry at Apple about this. Computers are productivity machines and the level of productivity rises together with the amount of features and options. They are NOT iPads with keyboards.

Web sharing is intact. The option is gone but the architecture underneath is well there. You just have to be able to operate Terminal to enable it.

[newagemac]

Originally Posted by hexor

I agree. Calling it that also misses the fact that Apple made it more difficult to switch what search engine you used. You could use the little popup in the search field to switch what search engine to use. Now you can not do that in Safari 6 unless you go to the safari preferences dialog. I major PITA.

Actually, they made it really easy to switch search engines. Just click on the little magnifying glass in the URL/Search field and choose your search engine. You would have to do it before you start typing though because the magnifying glass changes to the favicon of the site.

[garylapointe]

They took away my "block popups" option from the "Safari" menu dropdown. I have to dig through preferences now

Gary

[roosta]

they took away the activity window. big fail.

[steve-p]

Whenever there's a new OS X or iOS version, maybe as well as banging on about "200 new features" is at least an admission somewhere that also "25 features removed".

[Gemütlichkeit]

I"ve never used RSS feeds through my browser. I prefer them to come in as emails in Mail.

On another note, is there any way to revert back to the older tab version? I'm annoyed by the huge tabs.

----------

Originally Posted by garylapointe

They took away my "block popups" option from the "Safari" menu dropdown. I have to dig through preferences now

Gary

Use adblock plus extension and have a button on the address bar

[Mad-B-One]

Originally Posted by Gemütlichkeit

I"ve never used RSS feeds through my browser. I prefer them to come in as emails in Mail.

On another note, is there any way to revert back to the older tab version? I'm annoyed by the huge tabs.

Yes. It's called "download Firefox" and then just pin the tabs

[Doctor Q]

Originally Posted by talmy

Sure is. At least since I started, mid '00s, we've lost Sherlock, Internet Explorer, Appleworks, "Classic", FrontRow, iSync, iWeb, iDVD, the "good" iMovie and Final Cut, Expose/Spaces, FTP server, iWork.com, MobileMe and .Mac. Plus what you mentioned.

We have to take the bad with the good; that seems to be the price of progress.

It's hard to cope, at least at first, when they drop features we depend on. For example, how have we managed to survive since Apple silently dropped the Secret About Box?

[chaosconan]

I'm glad they removed it. I prefer my apps to be simple.
A mail app should be a mail app. A browser should be a browser. A feedreader should be a feedreader. Look at Internet Explorer, bloated with so many useless features and that's why its so slow.

Keep It Simple and Straightforward!

iOS Apps has shown that people want simple apps that do what they are designed to do, one thing, and do it right.