I use Mac OS X as my main OS (Operating System) on my Powerbook 15″. I also have Windows XP SP2 installed and running simultaneously on the PowerBook (thanks to the magic of Virtual PC) but I only switch to XP when I absolutely have to (to run SQL Server Enterprise Manager, for instance).

I use RSS feeds all the time on the Mac and have for some time been looking for a good (and free) RSS reader for the Mac. I used NetNewsWire Lite for a long time and found it quite good but I was annoyed that it deleted RSS entries after a short time and there was no search functionality in NetNewsWire.

I also tried AmphetaDesk and Shrook but found various limitations in them which had me looking for alternatives to them all the time.

Recently I came accross Newsfire and decided to give it a whirl. I’m hooked! You can choose how long to keep posts for before they are deleted automatically by NewsFire (anything from 1 day to 6 months to never delete), search functionality is built-in, the interface is beautiful and it is free!

NewsFire can import (and export) OPML files so you can quickly set up all your favourite feeds. NewsFire has very quickly displaced all my other RSS readers and become my RSS reader of choice. Now, if only there was a feed grouping option in NewsFire it would be absolutely perfect! Well, I’m sure it will be along shortly and I have NewsFire set to automatically check for new versions of itself (I’m currently using v0.28) so soon I will have the ultimate RSS reader, for Mac OS X, free!