RSS Aggregator Project
# Online RSS aggregator - Simple and Elegant
Since google reader is taken out by Google as a product; below is the idea to pilot a small project.
Functional reqs: * Receive online RSS feeds in ATOM and RSS feed formats. * Expose clean and readable interface for rss feeds without clutter. * Ensure ease of navigation using vim like key-bindings. * Allow for two modes of display surf and read. - surf mode will display one-line headers that could be easily skimmed through. - read mode will display complete content as much possible in the feed itself. * Allow for import and export of feeds from popular formats (OPML and XML). * Rank user feeds and rearrange mostly read ones based on usage statistics of given feed by user. * Add/Removal of unlimited number of users (in terms of technology) should be supported. * Importing of feeds, tags, and populating contents should be instantaneous. * Navigation of website should be drag free, smooth and elegant experience. * Support few selected, but most commonly used browsers for rendering. * Application by itself should store nothing more than required to populate feeds - no external credentials, no settings, no strings, no ads. * Desirably do the global ranking of incoming URLs, feeds and sources based on usage. * Desirably suggest new feeds based on the interests of feed subscribers. * Allow for easy import of settings from different feed readers like google, feedly, etc. * Allow for easy sharing of posts using facebook, blogs, twitter, and mails.
Non-functional reqs: * Should be easy to develop, maintain, upgrade, and debug. * Should be able to easily scale for large number of users and data. * Shoube be able to monitor different aspects of application easily.
Reqs gathered from blogs: * Should be Web based * Should allow OPML import and/or Google Reader synchronization * Shoulw support Rich content * Desirably works on Mobile * Free - A much wanted option
Timeline
Google will shutdown the reader by Jul 1, 2013. So, essentially the alpha version should be up and running before that. 3 months and 10 days left to effective launch of the service. That means, 3 months to implement it completely.
Feasibilty Check
- Technical
- Is it possible to implement the solution in given time?
- How easy/difficult is it for you to understand the technology to develop this?
- Do you completely understand all the requirements of such an application?
- Can you list the set of challenges in developing such an app?
- Is there anybody who could help you when you are totally stuck with something?
- Do you have estimates of computational requirement, memory, bandwidth requirement?
- Money
- How much money is required to support 100000 users initially?
- What are the other operational expenses required to keep site running 24/7?
- Personal
- Are you ready to invest your personal time and effort towards this?
- How prepared is your family for this challenge? Who are with you on this?
- How long are you ready to wait for it to succeed?
- How well you can manage this stuff given other responsibilities of day job and family?
- Business
- why you want to do this in first place? what do you expect out of it? Sleep over it and then decide.
- Do you expect to make money from this? If yes, How much? and How will you make it?
- Are there any legal problems in doing this while being in a day job.
- How do you tell people what you have built? What is different they get by using your service?
- Is this application time critical? If it takes longer, will application have no relevance?
- How much of attention does it require to operate, maintain, and upgrade?