How to Install and Use Newsboat on Linux
Newsboat is a powerful and customizable RSS/Atom feed reader for the command line. It’s an ideal choice for users who prefer a minimalist interface and the ability to access their feeds without a graphical user interface (GUI). In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to install and use Newsboat on Linux.
Step 1: Install Newsboat
For Ubuntu/Debian: Open your terminal and run the following commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install newsboat
For Fedora: Use the following command:
sudo dnf install newsboat
For Arch Linux: You can install it using:
sudo pacman -S newsboat
For Other Distributions: If Newsboat is not available in your package manager, you can compile it from source. First, make sure you have the required dependencies:
sudo apt install git cmake g++ libcurl4-openssl-dev libjsoncpp-dev
Then clone the repository and build it:
git clone https://github.com/newsboat/newsboat.git
cd newsboat
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..sudo make install
Step 2: Configure Newsboat
Once installed, you’ll need to configure Newsboat to start using it. First, create a configuration file:
mkdir -p ~/.newsboat
touch ~/.newsboat/urls
Next, open the urls file in your preferred text editor and add the RSS feed URLs you want to follow. Each URL should be on a new line. For example:
https://rss.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/HomePage.xml
https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml
Step 3: Start Newsboat
Now that you have your feeds set up, you can launch Newsboat by simply running:
newsboat
In the main interface, you can navigate through your feeds using the arrow keys. Press Enter to open a feed and view its articles.
Step 4: Reading Articles
To read an article, select it and press Enter. You can scroll through the article using the arrow keys. Press q to go back to the feed list.
Step 5: Updating Feeds
To refresh your feeds, press R while in the main feed view. This will check for new articles across all your subscribed feeds.
Step 6: Customizing Newsboat
Newsboat is highly customizable. You can modify the configuration settings in the ~/.newsboat/config file. For example, you can change the default browser that opens articles, adjust the display settings, and configure keyboard shortcuts.
Here’s an example of a configuration entry:
browser = “firefox”
Conclusion
Newsboat is a powerful command-line RSS feed reader that allows you to stay updated with your favorite sources without the clutter of a GUI. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can quickly install, configure, and start using Newsboat to enhance your news consumption experience.
For more detailed documentation and customization options, visit the Newsboat GitHub page.
