Is Google Reader being retired?

[Nick Bradbury]

I hate to ask this, but I have to: is Google preparing to retire Reader? Today's blog post about upcoming Reader changes discusses how to export your data in case you "feel like the product is no longer for you." That's an odd thing to say in the context of highlighting upcoming changes - that sounds to me like Google plans to discontinue Reader, and is letting people (esp. popular bloggers?) know how to extract their data well in advance.

I realize that we're using an unofficial API, so we have no right to complain about any changes to it (instead we should be thankful to have been able to use it for so long). But at the same time, the Reader team is well aware that developers such as myself are using their API in our software, and some of us rely on this software to generate an income. So it seems like common courtesy to give us a heads up about any changes.

Which I guess is why I'm asking about Reader's retirement: I'd simply like to know in advance so I can prepare for it, and so I can prepare my customers for it.

[secou]

I'm am one of the many who use Google Reader (and FeedDemon)... for professionnal purpose (800 feeds). One of the most valuable feature for me is tag/folder public sharing. I use the so generated blogs to produce Atom feeds devoted to thematic watches served to clients. A very very powerfull feature. This announce is just unrespectfull to many of us and certainly not a good decision for their own business, because they'll lose a bunch of professionnal users) ! Hope they will maintain even a basic API wich could help developpers (like you Nick) to create new valuable features.