SharpReader is a free RSS news reader program.

What's RSS?  It stands for "Real Simple Syndication".  In short, it's a way to subscribe to a regularly updated web page so that you can receive all of the new information without having to constantly visit that web page and check for changes. 

For example, my blog on this website supports RSS, and you can use SharpReader to subscribe to it.  Then if you want to see if I've posted any new material, you open SharpReader and click the "Refresh" button.  At that point, SharpReader will download any new material that I've posted.  By the way, to get to my blog page, click here.

SharpReader runs on Windows and requires the .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 or higher to be installed.  If you're not quite sure whether you have correct .NET Framework installed, SharpReader's site explains how to get the latest version, if necessary.

I first found out about SharpReader from Microsoft's Security Newsletter in February 2006.  SharpReader is free and works well.  That's a tough combination to beat!  To find out more and/or obtain a copy of SharpReader, go to http://www.sharpreader.net/.