Helvetireader - a work in progress / journal / hicksdesign

05/06/08

Helvetireader - a work in progress

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the Google Reader theme, and when/if I’m going to update it, so here’s an update on the update.

The ‘OS X’ style google reader isn’t going to updated. It’s a pain in the arse quite franky, and rather than being able to finish it off, I’m just spending my time cleaning up the mess after a new feature has been launched by Google. The code is all there if someone wants to take over the theme and carry on working on it, but I’m afraid that won’t be me!

Instead, I’ve been working on something I’m calling ‘Helvetireader’, a stripped back, cleaner style, inspired by the lovely interface for Times.app RSS Reader. No rounded boxes, shadows or superfluous buttons. As there is less forced positioning going on, it should break less when new features launch. That’s the plan anyway.

As it removes a lot of stuff that people might use, and only keeps the bits I use, it might not be that useful to some people. Once I feel it’s ready, I’ll release it!

Technorati Tags Tags: google, greader, rss, theme

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Comments are now closed, but you can still have a jolly time reading what others have left:

Daryl said 127 days ago:

Nice! Looks like it would fit what I’ve been looking for.

Can’t wait!

brian fox said 127 days ago:

awesome…looks good. can’t wait to see it.

Oliver Hofmann said 127 days ago:

Clean, minimalistic, where do I sign up? Really looking forward to that one.

Stan said 127 days ago:

Can’t wait to give this a try

Keith Mason said 127 days ago:

Oh go on, just release it already! Looks great!

Koen Van der Auwera said 127 days ago:

I think it’s ready. :)

Dan said 114 days ago:

I use both “j” and the “next” button equally.

I have a hacked iPhone that can be used as a trackpad. And even on my laptop, sometimes its just as easy to let my hand rest on the mouse button/trackpad as it is to let it rest on the “j” key. Plus, if I want to star an article or make a note, my hand is already there.

Great design though. One that would make me at least try Reader sans the “next” button. Regardless, its always positive to push the bounds of minimalism. Its the only way to determine what we can lose and not miss. If I find out that I miss it, then that’s worth the whole experience.

Cant wait.