

NewsBlur (YC S12) launches iPad app, aims to compete with Google Reader - conesus
http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/05/newsblur-ipad/

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luciablackboard
The social and intelligence aspect of Newsblur may well attract readers. I
think that's an interesting concept.

However,I anticipate some bloggers and newspapers will react negatively to
NewsBlur's practice of copying the full html of front pages and making those
copies readily available at a Newsblur hosted site. (Example:
<http://newsblur.com/reader/page/1100897>. I've archived the current Newsblur
copy at <http://www.webcitation.org/6ASIXkYIy> .)

I also suspect that some bloggers and content providers will be annoyed when
they discover their content framed and will return to the practice of
javascript framebusting. Apparently ScienceBlogs has initiated framebusting:
See
[https://getsatisfaction.com/newsblur/topics/story_view_takes...](https://getsatisfaction.com/newsblur/topics/story_view_takes_me_offsite).
I suspect other large blogging networks and news agencies will begin to do so
as well.

Luckily, it's simple enough for content providers to write javascript
framebusters that break ordinary frames (used in Newsblur's "story" view) and
also redirect when someone displays an unauthorized copy of the full html of
their content (used in the "original" view).

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conesus
Actually, it's considerably simpler than that. If you let me know, I will
gladly remove the site from the Original view. Alternatively, for sites that
employ iframe busters, NewsBlur adheres to their intention and disables the
original view for that site. NYTimes, Twitter, and StackOverflow all do this.

~~~
luciablackboard
Jason, First: In mid-August, I discovered my site was being copied. I
communicated with Newsblur by email requesting that my original and story
views be removed. I then repeated my request on twitter and was told that it
had been removed. I replied that it still displayed. It continues to display.

So, my site is supposedly already "removed". Nevertheless, if I visit
<http://www.newsblur.com/site/1100897/> both the story and the original still
display if I click around. I'll be more than happy to take screenshots for
you. Also, I can report the Newsblur bot continues to return to my site to
make fresh copies or the front page. Clearly, if it is not the intention of
Newsblur to display fresh copies, these return visits should be a pointless
waste of time for a bot.

Clearly, it is not particularly simple to get Newsblur to displaying fresh
copies of pages on the web.

But let us suppose it was a simple as you suggest.

I would suggest that the practice of assuming that all content is open-domain
is a risky one for Newsblur. Copyright law has potentially heavy fines for
unauthorized copying. Newsblur would be wise to reconsider the notion that it
is sufficient for content providers to watch diligently for unauthorized
copies and follow up by hunting down Newsblurs email so they can "opt-oubllby
Newsblur thinks they can advance some fair-use argument why they can simply
copy 100% of front pages of blogs. I don't know what that might be-- but since
I can prevent display using javascript I'm content to not pursue that issue.

I would suggest that no matter what a judge might decide in a copyright
dispute, if Newsblur is going to send out a bot to make copies, rather than
suggesting content providers email them with requests to not-archive, they
ought to visit robots.txt, obey it, and failing that obey no-archive
directives included on web pages. To do otherwise is-- to put it mildly--
impolite.

I might also add that while Newsblur might prefer content creators to
communicate with them to have their 'original' views removed from Newsblur,
content creators might find it simpler or preferable to drop in javascript.
Dropping in the javascript would suffice to break your Newsblur frames and the
frames of other as-yet- undiscovered entities who have decided they wish to
frame content and/or copy and then frame the copies.

I'm sure no content provider would object if Newsblur detects this
framebreaking so it doesn't spoil the Newsblur experience. But based on my
visits to <http://www.newsblur.com/site/1100897/> it seems Newsblur does not
auto-detect framebreaking.

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conesus
This is a big release and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. That
said, the next big launch coming up will involve a design refresh for both web
and mobile. I'm meeting with our designers later today and hope to ship the
best looking, most intuitive news reader within the next couple months.

Here's the iPad app splash page: <http://www.newsblur.com/ipad>

And here's the source code to the iPad app: <http://github.com/samuelclay>

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king_jester
The iPad app looks great! Any word on when the Android client will ship?

~~~
conesus
Here's the code for the Android app:
<https://github.com/samuelclay/NewsBlur/commits/android>. Based on the latest
nightlies, we're looking at somewhere in the next couple weeks. Very, very
excited, since Android is a very underserved platform in news reading.

~~~
drivebyacct2
Amen. Like a few other first-party Google apps, Reader is atrocious.

It's very easy to have it load with very stale data and have the "refresh"
button literally do nothing. Then you have to [back] to the main page, then
click "All Items" then press refresh.

How does a bug like that stay active for years? Anyway, I've used NewsBlur for
a while, excited to get it on Android.

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jasonmoo
Wow Sam great to see the traction you've been getting on this. Congrats.

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xpose2000
You guys should have worked on a better design before getting press and
officially launching. In the left sidebar there is just too much happening.
After clicking on a source in the left, there is a new box on the bottom that
pops up to further clutter and confuse.

I don't see why I would use this over something like Feedly?

When you get that redesign up, let us know.

~~~
conesus
As I always like to say in response to our design flaws, "Hey, at least we
shipped!" And it's true, what you see is a solid foundation. We're going to be
giving it the full makeover soon. The only way we know that it'll be worth it
is if we tested our hypothesis that there really is a good market for a news
reader in this style.

~~~
heliostatic
The design doesn't feel perfect, but that hasn't stopped the iPad app from
being my new morning and evening go-to news source. Great work on shipping,
and it's pretty amazing that there's so much progress on all three platforms
simultaneously.

