For the last sixth months to a year I have been alternating between NewsFire and NetNewsWire for all RSS needs. RSS is a very powerful way to get the news you want delivered to you in a quick efficient manner. Both programs have their merits for daily use. The biggest issue I had with NetNewsWire was the general look and feel as compared to Newsfire. I really love the simplicity of Newsfire and its beautiful yet simple interface. NetNewsWire is slightly more functional in my opinion but lacks that “flair” that Mac users have become accustomed to.It was with this in mind that I decided to create some alternate toolbar icons/interface elements to replace the shipping resources.

I took some time to think about what I wanted to accomplish and then set to work creating the icons you see before you. In addition to replacing the toolbar icons I also replaced several elements of the interface to give it a more polished look and feel.

Before

After

I also altered the color scheme to better suit my tastes and be less “in your face”. (See the enclosed screenshots for exact color information.)Here is a quick guide to a happier, hopefully more visually pleasing RSS experience. 

Step 1

Download the NetNewsWire Mods Disk Image and mount it on the desktop. In this image you will find the icons/interface elements, a shortcut to the resouces folder inside the app’s package contents as well as some additional screenshots to be used to change the color scheme within the app. (More on this later.)

Step 2:

Double click on the “resources” shortcut which will open the package contents. You may want to make a backup copy of the resources folder if you wish to restore at a later time.

Step 3:

Open the “icons” folder included in the disk image and drag everything into the resources folder. At this time you will be prompted to replace the existing files. Check “apply to all” and then click “replace” to complete the changes. 

Step 4:

Okay you are now halfway there. The second part of the modifcation happens within the application itself. There are fortunately several handy ways to customize the NetNewsWire experience. First involves changing the color scheme.From within NetNewsWire navigate to View–>Show Color Options where you will be presented with a window showing each color option that can be changed.I have included in “additional files” a copy of my reccomended color settings. You can open this file and use the color dropper to match the colors exactly as they are as seen in the screen capture. Alternatively you can just choose your own if you aren’t happy with the results.

Step 5:

Almost done! The last step is merely a matter of preference. If you wish to match your NetNewsWire exactly as it is seen in the screenshot then their are two options which you will need to change.Again from within NetNewsWire navigate to View–> Layout and then make sure there is a checkmark next to “Show Datelines in Table” and if you prefer it “Widescreen View”. Then Navigate to View–>Columns and select “Sort by Date”.and…The finished product should look something like this: Click for Screenshot I suppose I should also note that I have changed the default layout of the icons present in the toolbar and changed the toolbar to show “Icon Only” instead of “Text and Icons” as it is by default. Since this is a matter of preference I will leave it up to you how you wish to have things displayed.Okay so there you have it. Click on the Preview image to download the required files and remember to BACK UP the existing icons if you wish to restore them at a later date.Happy Modding! 

For the last sixth months to a year I have been alternating between NewsFire and NetNewsWire for all RSS needs. RSS is a very powerful way to get the news you want delivered to you in a quick efficient manner. Both programs have their merits for daily use. The biggest issue I had with NetNewsWire was the general look and feel as compared to Newsfire. I really love the simplicity of Newsfire and its beautiful yet simple interface. NetNewsWire is slightly more functional in my opinion but lacks that “flair” that Mac users have become accustomed to.It was with this in mind that I decided to create some alternate toolbar icons/interface elements to replace the shipping resources.

I took some time to think about what I wanted to accomplish and then set to work creating the icons you see before you. In addition to replacing the toolbar icons I also replaced several elements of the interface to give it a more polished look and feel.

Before

After

I also altered the color scheme to better suit my tastes and be less “in your face”. (See the enclosed screenshots for exact color information.)Here is a quick guide to a happier, hopefully more visually pleasing RSS experience. 

Step 1

Download the NetNewsWire Mods Disk Image and mount it on the desktop. In this image you will find the icons/interface elements, a shortcut to the resouces folder inside the app’s package contents as well as some additional screenshots to be used to change the color scheme within the app. (More on this later.)

Step 2:

Double click on the “resources” shortcut which will open the package contents. You may want to make a backup copy of the resources folder if you wish to restore at a later time.

Step 3:

Open the “icons” folder included in the disk image and drag everything into the resources folder. At this time you will be prompted to replace the existing files. Check “apply to all” and then click “replace” to complete the changes. 

Step 4:

Okay you are now halfway there. The second part of the modifcation happens within the application itself. There are fortunately several handy ways to customize the NetNewsWire experience. First involves changing the color scheme.From within NetNewsWire navigate to View–>Show Color Options where you will be presented with a window showing each color option that can be changed.I have included in “additional files” a copy of my reccomended color settings. You can open this file and use the color dropper to match the colors exactly as they are as seen in the screen capture. Alternatively you can just choose your own if you aren’t happy with the results.

Step 5:

Almost done! The last step is merely a matter of preference. If you wish to match your NetNewsWire exactly as it is seen in the screenshot then their are two options which you will need to change.Again from within NetNewsWire navigate to View–> Layout and then make sure there is a checkmark next to “Show Datelines in Table” and if you prefer it “Widescreen View”. Then Navigate to View–>Columns and select “Sort by Date”.and…The finished product should look something like this: Click for Screenshot I suppose I should also note that I have changed the default layout of the icons present in the toolbar and changed the toolbar to show “Icon Only” instead of “Text and Icons” as it is by default. Since this is a matter of preference I will leave it up to you how you wish to have things displayed.Okay so there you have it. Click on the Preview image to download the required files and remember to BACK UP the existing icons if you wish to restore them at a later date.Happy Modding!