Case Study - An Open Source Screensaver for the Modern Web

Overview

RSSence was sparked by a single Reddit comment: "Somebody make a modern, beautiful RSS screensaver." We couldn’t resist.

Inspired by retro feed readers and the rebirth of RSS, we built an open-source tool that turns your screen into a stunning feed display. Whether it’s running on a TV, second monitor, or wall-mounted display, RSSence offers a blend of motion, minimalism, and customizability.

And we gave it away. For free.

This wasn’t about business—it was about building something cool for the web community. A passion project with a nostalgic soul and modern frontend under the hood.

What Makes RSSence Special

• Fullscreen Mode with smooth, animated transitions
• Flipping card UI to display headlines, descriptions, and images
• Live Feed Management to add, remove, or sort feeds instantly
• Theme Switcher with Light, Dark, and "Vibe Mode"
• Custom Backgrounds and ambient animations (particles, confetti, stars, etc.)
• Timezone Clocks and live navigation controls
• No accounts, no setup, just launch and go

How We Built It

We leaned on modern tools to keep things fast and flexible:

• Next.js for a React-based, SSR-friendly app
• Tailwind CSS for theme management and responsive design
• Framer Motion for slick UI transitions
• LocalStorage & dynamic routing to keep config client-side

We also prioritized performance, making sure it could run on everything from laptops to mounted TVs.

A Passion Project with Purpose

Open source is core to who we are—and RSSence is a perfect example of that. It wasn’t commissioned. It wasn’t monetized. We just thought it should exist, so we made it.

And the response from the community? Amazing. Starred, forked, and even deployed in some pretty creative ways.

See it in Action

Try RSSence now!

What we did