I love RSS. I’ve purchased two RSS aggregators (Radio Userland and NewsGator) and I regularly use a third (NetNewsWire Lite). And I’m currently subscribed to well over 100 feeds. But I’m an early adopter. I’ve got the need and the inclination. And my most frequently used aggregators (Radio Userland and NewsGator) are integrated into applications that I already use everyday.

The next challenge for RSS is Crossing the Chasm and jumping from early adopter acceptance to pragmatic usage. And one of the major obstacles is the need to use a new application for reading RSS. The obvious solution – integrate RSS aggregation into an existing application.

That’s why NewsGator is such a brilliant solution. It integrates RSS aggregation into an application that professionals already use every day. But I sometimes wonder if Greg Reinacker has chosen the right trial licensing scheme. The current license allows use of NewsGator for 14 days – what would happen if NewsGator used a cripple-ware license?