NetNewsWire, OPML, and Groups

A question people often ask is: why isn’t NetNewsWire’s groups structure reflected in the OPML it generates when you choose Export Subscriptions?

Here’s why:

The OPML file containing the exported subscriptions list is designed to be compatible with other news readers such as Radio UserLand and AmphetaDesk.

Not all news readers have a groups feature. Were groups included in the OPML, at least some other news readers wouldn’t be able to import the subscriptions.

What people want, I think, is a synch feature, a way to synchronize two copies of NetNewsWire. Makes sense—I want that too. That’s a separate feature, though. And it’s more complex than just exporting the subscriptions: you need to export the read/unread status of the headlines in those subscriptions, too.