Scripting News: OPML Editor for Windows

Scripting News, the weblog started in 1997 that bootstrapped the blogging revolution.

OPML Editor for Windows

There's a documented issue with the OPML Editor on Windows running IE7. It's pretty serious, the program crashes as it launches. Exactly what the problem is is not clear, but there is a workaround.

1. In the OPML application folder, Appearance sub-folder, there's a file called background.html.

2. If you make the file read-only, then the OPML Editor, as its launching, will not be able to rewrite the file, and IE7 will not have a problem. (To make the file read-only, right-click on it in the Explorer, choose Properties, check Read-only, click on OK.)

There's deep integration with the browser control and something about it has changed in the new version of the browser. When you make the file read-only, you may see some broken images as the program is booting, but that's certainly preferable to having the program crash.

If the updating code weren't in the middle of an upheaval, I'd issue an update right away, at least now there's a workaround.

If you have questions or comments, please post them on the opml-support mail list.

The usual caveats apply. ";->"

Last update: Thursday, June 3, 2010; 4:00:34 PM

~About the Author~

Dave Winer, 55, is a visiting scholar at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. He pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS), podcasting, outlining, and web content management software; former contributing editor at Wired Magazine, research fellow at Harvard Law School, entrepreneur, and investor in web media companies. A native New Yorker, he received a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Tulane University and currently lives in New York City.

"The protoblogger." - NY Times.

"The father of modern-day content distribution." - PC World.

One of BusinessWeek's 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

"Helped popularize blogging, podcasting and RSS." - Time.

"The father of blogging and RSS." - BBC.

"RSS was born in 1997 out of the confluence of Dave Winer's 'Really Simple Syndication' technology, used to push out blog updates, and Netscape's 'Rich Site Summary', which allowed users to create custom Netscape home pages with regularly updated data flows." - Tim O'Reilly.

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