NewsGator Acquires FeedDemon, TopStyle...and Me!

Yes, it's true: NewsGator has acquired FeedDemon and TopStyle, and brought me on board in the process.

Wow! How did this happen?

As regular visitors to my support forums know, the biggest request - by far - that FeedDemon customers have had is the ability to synchronize their subscriptions between multiple computers. They use FeedDemon on one PC at home, on another at the office, on a laptop while traveling, etc., and they want their feeds to be synched between them.

If someone reads an item on one computer, it shouldn't show up as unread on another computer. And when they subscribe to a feed, it should automatically appear on any computer they use. Basically, provide the convenience of a web-based aggregator with the power and speed of a Windows desktop application.

I toyed with various hack-ish ways to do this, and even considered creating my own web-based sync service, but in the end came to the conclusion that to really do this right, I needed to join forces with someone who already had the server-side piece in place.

Why NewsGator? I thought they were just an Outlook plug-in?

I used to think that, too. But shortly after I decided I needed to join forces with someone, I read this post in NewsGator founder Greg Reinacker's blog, in which he laid out NewsGator's plans. This post really opened my eyes to where they were headed - let's just say, I was impressed.

Funny enough, soon afterwards I got an email from Greg asking whether I'd consider joining forces with NewsGator. Truth is, if I hadn't already read Greg's blog post and been so impressed with the direction NewsGator was headed, chances are I would've turned him down - but because I read that post, I flew out to meet with the folks at NewsGator (score one for transparency through blogging!).

Long story short: we agreed that I should come on board and bring FeedDemon and TopStyle with me.

So what does this mean for FeedDemon customers?

I think you're going to like this :)

NewsGator uses a subscription model, and FeedDemon will become part of their subscription plans. All existing FeedDemon customers will get a two-year business standard subscription for free - and this includes upgrades to FeedDemon. In other words, if you've already bought FeedDemon, you'll get brand new versions of FeedDemon and a subscription to NewsGator Online free for the next two years.

Are there going to be changes in FeedDemon as a result of this?

Certainly. The most obvious will be that FeedDemon will integrate very closely with NewsGator's online synchronization platform, enabling using FeedDemon on multiple computers while maintaining state between all of them. You could even use FeedDemon on your home computer, NewsGator Outlook Edition while at work, and NewsGator Mobile Edition while traveling, and still have everything synched between devices.

Beyond that, having a server-side piece offers a lot of interesting possibilities. Coupling a rich desktop client with a first-rate server-side aggregator provides the best of both worlds: you get the power of a Windows application and all the flexibility of a web-based approach. There have been a number of features I've been wanting to add to FeedDemon that required a server-side piece which I can now provide.

While these changes won't happen overnight, we've already been working hard on a new release of FeedDemon - version 1.51 - which will include much better integration than currently exists. You should expect to see the first beta of FeedDemon 1.51 a couple of weeks from now.

And what about TopStyle customers?

While the acquisition obviously came to pass because of FeedDemon, NewsGator has made it clear that they're committed to TopStyle as well. This was an important part of the deal for me. I use TopStyle every single day, and I personally couldn't work without it. I'm already developing TopStyle 3.12, a free upgrade for existing TopStyle customers which will be released as a NewsGator product.

Oh, and you'll get the same deal as FeedDemon customers: a free two-year subscription. For the record, TopStyle has a lot of users - even more than FeedDemon - so this is a very generous offer from the folks at NewsGator, and it illustrates their commitment to the product.

So, what about you, Nick? Are you moving? And will you still be doing support?

Although I'll be working for NewsGator (my official title is "Architect of Client Products"), I'll be staying here in Tennessee, with frequent trips to NewsGator's offices in Denver.

I'll continue to be active in the support forums - I need to, in order to understand what my customers need - but I'll be handing over the support reigns to the folks at NewsGator. In fact, NewsGator has already taken over some of the support for FeedDemon - they're the "reinforcements" I mentioned in this post last month. The mysterious "Ron" I talked about is actually NewsGator's Ronnie Gilbertson, who will no doubt be relieved that he's no longer a secret!

And to illustrate their commitment to FeedDemon and TopStyle, NewsGator has already hired Jack Brewster to help support both products. Jack starts next month, and he's been a very frequent contributor to my support forums over the years (sometimes I think he knows TopStyle and FeedDemon better than I do). Welcome aboard, Jack - glad you could join us!

Patience is a virtue :)

So, there are obviously some major changes underway here, and we've got a lot to do to integrate my site, support system, etc., with NewsGator's.

As long as this post is, I know it leaves a ton of questions unanswered, and I'll try to address them here over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I do ask for your patience while we get everything sorted out. The entire process will likely take several weeks, and it's possible there will be a few hiccups along the way.

The end result, though, will be something special. I'm excited to have this opportunity to take my software to a whole new level, and I look forward to entering this new chapter in my life.

Comments

[Randy]

Congratulations Nick! Well deserved reward for the hard work and vision you provide to the software industry. The fact that you single-handedly created not one but two applications at the top of their respective categories speaks for itself. Well done.

Best wishes in the new venture.

[Matt Zur]

Wow! First I get done watching an amazing episode of 24, and then launch FeedDemon to hear the great news! Congrats Nick! I'm looking forward to everything that's coming and wish you all the best! From Dexnet to Allaire to Macromedia to BradSoft to Newsgator... quite the resume there :)

[Zook]

Hmm, you are telling this if it were a good thing (which it actually might be for you and for the FeedDemon users).
For me as a TopStyle user it sounds as if TopStyle is going down the drains. If it's not developed by you it'll be a totally different thing; we all know your precious way of thinking, implementing and supporting. You might say "Oh, it'll still be developed by me!" but let's be honest: decisions about features, priorities, GUI, etc. won't be in your hands alone. Well, future will show. Sincere congrats, anyway.

[Chetan]

Congratulations, Nick. Hope you'll enjoy your new way of working and things turn out good for you.

[Raanan]

Congratulations Nick!
I'm a user of TopStyle (Pro) for ages and NewsGator Online is my RSS aggregator (I have to have it on-line, I'm working on 4, sometimes 5 different computers, using a desktop application is just not possible).
NewsGator seems like a great company to work with.

Have fun.

BTW, what will happen to TopStyle?

[Scott Barnes]

Congrats Nick..

So how long before Adobe acquires NewsGator ;)

hehe

[Albert]

Congrats Nick. I'm using your FeedDemon everyday - I'm impressed with your services (really personal, many great feature updates). You bet, that I like that you leave FeedDemon customers with great offer from Newsgator. Not many softwares company did that - thus I really appreciate it. Wish you all the success ahead :)

[Neil T.]

Nick, that's brilliant news - congratulations!

[Patrick Schriner]

Congratulations to you! I hope everything will work out as nice as it looks. You sure seem excited :-)

How about the pricing model? Will the prices for Topstyle Pro & Feeddemon change? Will there still be volume discounts?

[Sarah]

Congratulations - this is a major deal for you and I hope it all works out :)

[Arvind]

Congratulations. Quick question, what happens to the Bloglines integration, will that remain?

[Neville Hobson]

Many congrats, Nick. I wish you and Newsgator every success. And, no, I'm not just saying that because of the sweet deal for customers you mention ;)

[Richard Rutter]

Since ditching my PC for a Mac, I've really missed FeedDemon (and don't get me started on the lack of TopStyle), however one bonus was that I found Shrook. Shrook is an news reader for Mac which from the start provided a mechanism of syncing between computers and a web-based service, something I found essential when travelling with work. I'm glad to see that's made it into FeedDemon too. All the needs to happen now is the port to Mac... (please, please please).

[Doug Stanton]

While this is great for Nick and FD users it does, in fact, signal the end for Top Style. I'm not buying the "...and Top Style users will benefit, too!" malarky.

Top Style has suffered greatly from the birth of Feed Demon in the form of delayed developement - it has become the second child, still loved but pushed to the background by the newborn.

Time to start the auditioning of other editing products as the future is bleak for TS - despite the promises of otherwise.

In spite of all of that... I do wish you the best of luck, Nick, and congrats on the sell out.

Doug

[wOOw]

Pfff ...

Bye bye Topstyle. Welcome to the bloatware.

[nah]

"Although I'll be working for NewsGator (my official title is "Architect of Client Products"), I'll be staying here in Tennessee, with frequent trips to NewsGator's offices in Denver."

It really means: "I've sold my toys. Period." ... 'Architect of Client Products'?, LOL, c'mon Nick, grow up :P. On one year Topstyle & Feedemon will be history and will be replaced with some kind of useless and bloat programs. YOU know it, it happens everyday.

I only think about one word for all of this: coward.

[Morgan]

WOW! Excellent news :)

Can't wait to see what will happen in the near future!

Thanks for the 3 year subscription as well ;)

[Jim]

On one hand I think it's great news for FeedDemon (though I don't generally like subscription software). I would have rather seen Nick just sell off FeedDemon and keep TopStyle.

I can't see what a company based around RSS would have any interest at all in a CSS program...

Anyway - it sound's like Nick's happy and that's all that really matters! :)

Maybe he'll have more time to work on... Homesite :P

Jim

[Joseph Thomas]

I don't see a need to attack Nick for taking this route, the sell out was inevitable. He has a family to feed and it has to be damn tough as an independent programmer selling "cult status" software.

I totally agree that this will be the end of Top Style - as one post suggests, NG has no interest in an html editor; it was a consession to obtain Nick's talents - I don't even see it as becoming "bloatware", I just don't see it progressing past a few token upgrades.

Another poster suggests that FeedDemon killed Top Style - I think that is very much the case. But programmers' interests change. 3.12 is way overdue and the promise of 4.0 is fading fast.

I personally have no interest in FD, although I bought it to help Nick in his quest to provide for his family, I'm more interested in Top Style so this "deal" is no big deal to me except for the dissappointment of losing Top Style and the loss another great programmer to the ... well you know. ;)

Congrats Nick! Enjoy the good life!

Joe

[Matt Sephton]

Congrats, Nick! You're an example to ever developer out there - you're always on the cutting edge. Keep up the great work.

[Paul Speranza]

Good for you Nick! I think this is an awesome idea and now you'll have a team to drive it. I can't wait.

[If..Else]

As a happy FD user, I have to say congratulations!

[gservito]

Just: congratulations; it's important to hear about nice folks coming out ahead. FeedDemon and TopStyle - and once Homesite - were *invaluable* tools. I do share the concern that Newgator will bury TopStyle like Macromedia buried Homesite...

[Steve]

First of all congratulations on the news! This will make me want to use FeedDemon even more than I do now.

I now have the song "History Repeating" (Propellerheads) running through my head. I'm a long time HomeSite user (since 97!) and remember when first Allaire then Macromedia acquired HomeSite. I really hope that TopStyle doesn't languish in the way HomeSite does now. Sadly I've been unable to find any other editor that works as well as HomeSite for my needs - still using 5.5 every day.

Good luck Nick!

[mbg]

Congratulations! This sounds like a very good outcome for FeedDemon users.

[Trevor]

This is great news. Congratulations. Now, to Top Request #2 - when will we see a Mac client? ;-)

[dwlt]

So if I own FeedDemon *and* TopStyle, I get a 4-year subscription, is that right? ;-)

I am a little concerned about TopStyle, although to date I've not had a need for any new features as such (and I've never had it crash either).

Congratulations, though, Nick!

[bpalmer]

Congratulations, Nick.
I think, given the opportunity presented and the evolution of web-based applications, your business decision is right, and you deserve the recognition of your work!
Me too, I wonder however what the survival chances for TopStyle are in the long run. But maybe TopStyle has reached its maturity already, and all it needs in the future is maintenance and minor improvements?

Good luck.
Ben

[ga]

This news begs the questions: After your contractual obligations to NG are met, what's the next application you'll create?

[David Sims]

Congrats, Nick! I'm very happy for you, as you seem quite revved up by this.

Like some of the others here, however, I use FD in such a way that the addition of NewsGator functionality probably won't matter all that much--who knows, maybe I'll be surprised?

Also like others, my main interest is in TopStyle, which I have found so enormously useful over the years--it's an amazing piece of software. I sincerely hope that Joe's comment that in NewsGator taking TS along with FD, "it was a consession to obtain Nick's talents" is not (entirely) true.

Maybe, in order to help TopStyle live, now might be an appropriate time to ask again for a function built into TS that creates RSS feeds! :-)

Best,
David

[alan]

"I use TopStyle every single day, and I personally couldn't work without it."...NB - If Nick says TopStyle will survive, I have the utmost confidence he will do all he can to see that it will.

And oh, yeah...."cowards" put posts in blogs without using their names, NAH. Or maybe that is your name. If so, sorry ;) sincerely, alan wyatt.

[Paul S.]

Congrats Nick! Sounds like a great deal.

[Alan Palmer]

Oh dear. As others have said, goodbye TopStyle. :-(

Perhaps version 3.12 will arrive, but I won't hold my breath for a v. 4.0. Although I own a copy of FeedDemon, the Bradsoft application I use most is TS.

[Randy Peterman]

If anything, I think that Nick is a man of his word. I don't think that he's saying, "I will still work on TopStyle," and then not going to deliver on it. I also think that since he won't be running support by himself (with the help of some volunteers) he'll possibly have more time to work on TopStyle AND FeedDemon.

Thanks for the great software and congradulations on the acquisition. Frankly I think it's a sign of the quality of your work and the accessibility it has for the end user. I wouldn't use Outlook for an email client, but I do use FeedDemon for RSS, so I see this as a win-win for both companies. Obviously the companies do :)

[James Avery]

Randy,
I think Nick is a man of his word as well, but it's no longer up to him.. he is just an employee now and he will have to focus on what they want him to focus on. If you think that TopStyle is going to be their focus I think you are being delusional.

[greyhawk68]

Well, for me there are three major points of contention.

*We better not lose the ability to sync with Bloglines
*We better be able to use FeedDemon as a standalone app WITHOUT being required to hit NewsGator's servers
*We better be able to use FeedDemon standalone once the subscription runs out.

If all of those happen, I will not have a problem. I personally despise Outlook, so I've never used NewsGator, and never will in Outlook form.

I am happy for Nick though. Congrats, you should be able to prosper from the fruits of your labor. I just don't want to see the best newsreader on the planet screwed up...

-Grey

[Rob Fahrni]

Wow! Congratulations Nick.

I can't wait to see the newly integrated FeedDemon, and I'll get my desired Outlook integration!

Wild.

[Scott Johnson of Feedster]

Wow. Great news guys. Congrats Nick -- once again you done good.

[Chummy Saunders]

Wow - great news for Nick! But bad news for most of us.

I don't doubt that Nick will "attempt" to continue developement of Top Style but I don't see it happening. All the pressures of the new job, expectations, etc....

Luckily TS is in good shape now so we can continue to use it in it's present form.

As someone else already pointed out - history repeats itself - Allaire/NewsGator what's the difference? A big fish just ate a smaller one. ;)

Chummy

[Michael Sanford]

Just my prediction:

Both Nick and TopStyle will re-emerge in about 6 months after his contractual obligation is met. IMO, NewsGator is merely agreeing to provide support for TopStyle during this period to free Nick up to focus on things NewsGator really cares about.

[Peter]

The main thing is that NewsGator doesn't need to hog Nick's time since TopStyle is more important they only thing they can do is have him work mainly on Topstyle and side help with the RSS reader..

[Jeff Wilkinson]

Randy wrote: "The fact that you single-handedly created not one but two applications at the top of their respective categories speaks for itself."

Actually 3, homesite, topstyle, feeddemon. All 3 have been best of class.

Nick, congrats. Now that you have help on FD and TS, I'm interested to see what new things will happen there, but would be even more interested to see what *other* new app(s) you might come up with. (yeah, I'm greedy ;-)

[David Sims]

Grey (above) said,

"*We better not lose the ability to sync with Bloglines

*We better be able to use FeedDemon as a standalone app WITHOUT being required to hit NewsGator's servers

*We better be able to use FeedDemon standalone once the subscription runs out."

Although the Bloglines issue is moot for me personally, the last two are absolutely essential for me too--otherwise, as good as FD is, I'd use another product.

[Ian Cheung]

Congratulations Nick,

While I would love to be reassured that TopStyle has a future, it really is just your business. It would be painful to see TopStyle go the way that HomeSite did.

Good Luck in the future!

(Just a thought, are you going to keep your blog going?)

[Rob]

PLEASE dont let history repeat itself... Think HS.

I wish Nick good luck but I also wish TS and FD survive intact. I have my doubts.

Who want to bet NG will cripple FD?

[Stewart Ugelow]

I've always shaken my head in wonder when Nick has posted about people with cracked versions of his software e-mailing him for technical support and other such things. But after reading some of these comments, I'm only beginning to appreciate what Nick must deal with all the time.

So let's start with this: we owe Nick our gratitude for bringing into the world three fantabulous applications, for being a model citizen who is constantly doing good deeds in support of other technology projects, for not charging more money for the tools he created (which he easily could have), for providing far and away the best technical support that I've ever received from a software developer, and for letting us all come along for the ride.

If Nick had wanted to "sell out" or throw TopStyle overboard, he's undoubtedly had ample opportunities to do so that would probably have been far more lucrative than joining forces with a middle-stage startup. And keep in mind that he's not "just an employee" of NewsGator -- he's now likely an owner of a considerable chunk of the company.

Nick has made what I'm sure was a difficult decision for him. But if you have trusted his vision for his applications in the past, then you should also trust him in his choice of his path for the future. And if he is thrilled with the outcome, than you should be thrilled for him.

I know I am.

[David Seguin]

Congratulations, Nick! I've been a longtime user of every app you've made, and a daily reader of your blog. While I was always amazed by what you could do as a one-man shop, I'll also be interested to see what you do in a bigger organization.

Can't wait to see it.

[Betsy Devine]

Wow, great news--NewsGator is super lucky to get you, Nick. Say hi to Renee Blodgett ( http://www.downtheavenue.com/ ) from her pals in Boston, okay?

[Olegas]

Bye bye TopStyle :(
Any suggestions for another good CSS editor?..

[The Kibitzer]

Like (most) others here, sincerely, good luck Nick. I totally understand your decision and I hope it works out really well for both you and your family.

Also like others, my main interest is TS -- no interest in FD. And, having started with HomeSite, diverted briefly to (N)Evrsoft's 1st Page 2000 then moved enthusiastically to TS, I don't hold out much hope for TS -- look what happened to HomeSite. It's a shame but life moves on. I'll keep using TS for as long as it survives.

[Lukas Bernstein]

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

[OSUKid7]

Wow, this shocked me. One of the reasons I didn't go with NewsGator was because of the lack of features, and the Outlook integration. I use Outlook a ton, but didn't like having my RSS options so limited in it.

I hope the NewsGator acquisition goes well, and the Bradbury Soft. products improve even more. I can't want to see what the next big release of FeedDemon brings, but I hope it's more of the same, combined with the best of NewsGator. :)

Congrats!

[YickiStar]

Congrats, nick! I know you are busy these days, but would you please reply to my email? Thanks in advance in name of Chinese users! I am eager to see my translation for FD released soon. Sorry for any inconvenience.

[Zaine Ridling]

OH. CRAP. Mergers rarely ever make for better software. The software landscape is littered with programs that faded out of existence or were abandoned. Nick, you're the only person I've ever heard of that was "excited" about Newsgator — it's a terrible organization with a nice pretty website is all. So now I get the privilege of paying $20/year for a SUBSCRIPTION? I don't need a subscription. I don't WANT a subscription. I never want a subscription. I just want a feed reader. I also just saved up enough money to purchase TopStyle Pro, so that, too, was wasted. CRAP. I don't want to pay money to conservative/republican corporations to support their faux news, sports, and their endless beer commercials.

Grey is right:
*We better not lose the ability to sync with Bloglines
*We better be able to use FeedDemon as a standalone app WITHOUT being required to hit NewsGator's servers
*WE BETTER BE ABLE TO USE FEEDDEMON STANDALONE ONCE THE SUBSCRIPTION RUNS OUT.

I don't use Outlook, so I've never used NewsGator, and never will use any feed reader that uses an email client. I'll just use the Open Source RSS Bandit, since I promise to NEVER, EVER "subscribe" to software.

[Henning]

Im not very happy about that. I guess its time for a change now ... bye Nick ... *sneef*

[Robbie Wilson]

Okay... I'm happy Nick got a real job. ;)

But I'm both furious and disappointed at the turn of events here. NewsGator!?!?! WTH!

Anyone that thinks this will be a good thing for either FD or TS is kidding themselves - this includes Nick. I have a feeling that he was fed a line of bull - fancy talk and empty promises.

Got to call it quits at this point, as I have intentions of getting in bed with NewsGator. Too slimy of a organization for my taste.

Bye Nick!

[Robbie Wilson]

Read above as:

"as I have NO intentions of getting in bed with NewsGator."

Rob

[Steve Brereton]

Hummmmm........
I tried Newsgator. It's crap.
I can't for the life of me see how the wonderful Topstyle fits their current suite of services. Suspect its going to get dumped very quickly.

Whilst I can see the value of syncs, I have no wish whatsoever to use Newsgator again, and indeed this brings up the issue of what happens to those Feeddemon users who have a standing subscription to Newsgator for other reasons?

I don't know....
A sad day for high quality independent software. Who knows. Just have to wait and see. I can be convinced, I really can, but they'll have to work at it to get there.

[John Serris]

Congratulations Nick! Don't forget us Topstylers ;)

[JD]

Congrats Nick!

Though like others, I am worried about Topstyle too. I hope once you are back from conference, you would address the concern about Topstyle.

JD

[Roy]

Best Wishes Nick. Hope it all works out well for you and us FD/TS users. As expressed by others, I sincerely hope that when our two year free NG subscription expires we aren't required to pay an annual subscription to use FeedDemon. I would, sadly, have to look for another reader if a subscription is required.

[Daily News]

Why I'm forced to use any subscription services?.. I don't want any even for 1$ per month.
And, as I understand, I even forced to use Outlook? I never used it. There're much better e-mail clients.

[Gerard de Bruijn]

Dear Nick,
Congratulations. Ever since my first contact with you (welll... homesite) I became an addict to the stuff you produced. Topstyle Feeddemon, evertything from under your skull was exactly the stuff I needed. I am sure it will work out fine for you and that you will come up with new ideas.
Good luck and take care

[Peter Tilbrook]

For a "one-man software company" you've made some brilliant software and deserve this new opportunity.

Congratulations!

[Mike Gale]

I hope this all pans out for the best.

(I'd hate to see another Allaire then Macromedia process hitting Topstyle and FeedDemon.)

I haven't a clue about Newsgator. But if this is guy's with VC funding splashing it around, it makes me nervous. Thats exactly what created the .COM situation.

I hope Nick has a way to keep control of TopStyle, especially if things start going wrong. If somebody without a clue gets management control great potential will be lost.

[Cameron W]

Looks like the Beauty of Topstyle is lost.

[David M. Kean]

Congratulations Nick!

You were (and still are) an inspiration for those that one day dreamed of running their own Micro-ISV.

Good luck for the future.

[Peter Tilbrook]

Any chance of getting HomeSite back from Macromedia before Adobe kill it even further? Dreamweaver is OK I admit but heck HS/CF Studio is still the ants pants.

[Colin Harman]

Congrats nick,

like you say its a new chapter in your life so good luck with it and keep blogging tho ;)

[Paul White]

Obviously Nick must to what he thinks is best for him and his family but I fear a bleak future for TopStyle. I saw what I viewed as the end of HomeSite several years ago, I hope that I don't see a similar end for TopStyle. There have been some very long gaps between service releases and as someone has already said "Will there ever be a version 4 now?".

Good Luck Nick, for as long almost as long as I've been running 32-bit Windows I've had at least one of your programs installed on my PC. Come to think of it so have tens of thousands of others, that's some achievement!

[Kiffin Gish]

That's really great news Nick! Lots of hard work and the noble pursuit of solid high-quality software has paid off. Just hope that FeedDemon and TopStyle continue on a better path than what happened to Homesite. Have a fun and relaxing time.

[Abdul Qabiz]

Congrats Nick! I hope products would come up with more features...

-abdul

[Chris]

Nick - What else can I say but congratulations!! I am a little bummed that Feed Demon will be subscription but at least you did some fancy negotiating and kept your clients in mind when you made this decision. Speaking of which, what do we need to do to get our "free 2 year subscripotion"? I can't stress the importance of your phenomenal technical support. By far the best and most responsive tech support I have EVER worked with. News Gator is definitely a better company with you.

[Aditya]

Congrats! Couldn't have got better.. not unless you can convince Newgator to give out free subscriptions :)