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John Cletheroe's
PC and Internet Hints |
Some people say that RSS stands for "RDF Site Summary".
Some people say that RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication".
Some people say that RSS is merely a name and not an acronym.
To avoid unnecessary debate this document just uses the term RSS, which should be pronounced as three separate letters.
What Is RSS?
RSS is a method of transmitting information via the Internet. In that respect it is similar to HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), email, discussion groups and all the other types of information transmitted via the Internet. It may help to think of an analogy with the different types of vehicles travelling on a road. The Internet is the road and RSS, HTTP, FTP, email messages, discussion group postings and so on are the different types of vehicles.
In the same way as you need to use a web browser program to view web pages and you need to use an email program to send and receive email messages, so you need to use an RSS feed reader program to view RSS feeds.
In an RSS feed reader program, you say which RSS feeds you wish to subscribe to. The program remembers this information between sessions. Subscription to RSS feeds is nearly always free of charge. You can subscribe or unsubscribe from individual RSS feeds whenever you wish and in both cases the operation is carried out immediately.
Whenever you wish, you use the RSS feed reader program to download and view all the RSS feeds that you are currently subscribed to.
Even though the RSS feeds are obtained from completely different sources, the RSS feed reader program displays them combined together, one after another.
What Are Aggregators And News Aggregators?
These are merely alternative names for RSS feed reader programs. Use whichever name you prefer.
Because of the risk of confusion with newsgroups (discussion groups), I personally prefer not to use the term "News aggregator". Internet newsgroups are totally different to RSS.
What Is Syndication?
Syndication is a term used in the US television industry. In that context, it refers to old television programmes which can be shown by any station which buys them.
In RSS, the word syndication refers to the re-publication of items (in whole, in part, or in the form of a hypertext link which points to the original item) by other people, usually combined with other items.
How Does The RSS Protocol Work In Practice?
With RSS, one person or an organisation creates an RSS feed.
Anyone with an Internet connection and an RSS feed reader program can then subscribe to that feed, together with other feeds. In almost all cases subscription to RSS feeds is free of charge.
Each subscriber can then read the RSS feed. However, they cannot use RSS to communicate with the person or organisation which created the feed. Of course, the feed creator may provide and publicise an email address or a web site for that purpose.
People who create RSS feeds update them as and when they wish. Most RSS feeds are updated fairly frequently.
People who want to read RSS feeds decide when they wish to do so.
RSS feed reader programs only display the feeds that each of their users have subscribed to.
What Advantages Does RSS Offer People Reading Feeds?
There is no need to specify your email address or any other personal information when you subscribe to an RSS feed. Because of this, the potential risk of receiving more spam is totally avoided. I should point out that in practice the risk of incurring additional spam with the well-known reputable computer and Internet related email newsletters is negligible or non-existent.
The person reading the RSS feeds has complete and immediate control at all times over which feeds they subscribe to. If you don't like a feed for any reason, you can unsubscribe from it and that action will take effect immediately and forever, unless you decide to re-subscribe in the future. As soon as you unsubscribe, you will immediately and totally cease to receive any further information from that source.
Subscribing to RSS feeds and unsubscribing from RSS feeds always takes place immediately. These operations never involve a two-stage confirmation process as is usually required with automated email newsletter subscriptions.
You will only receive the RSS feeds you have subscribed to. You will never receive any spam on RSS.
RSS feeds only contain the material included by their creators. There is no spam, no advertisements and no flame wars (pointless heated arguments) unless the feed creator includes them in the feed. In general, feed creators only include acceptable material, knowing that users can unsubscribe so easily. Most free RSS feeds include a few relevant advertisements which provide a source of income to the feeds' creators. If you find any material in an RSS feed unacceptable, just unsubscribe from that feed.
RSS feeds will never be lost due to ISP's or programs running on the reader's computer filtering out genuine messages, mistaking them for spam.
RSS feeds tend to only have very simple formatting. This makes them quicker to load and easier to read than web pages or HTML formatted email. However, RSS feeds can and often do contain hypertext links.
RSS feeds can contain images but in practice these are used very sparingly. This makes feeds faster to load. If you have a modem connection then you can always unsubscribe from a feed which regularly includes numerous large images.
What Disadvantages Does RSS Have For People Reading Feeds?
Only the current edition of each feed is available.
If you don't access some editions of feeds, those editions will be lost as soon as a new edition is published. For example, if a feed is updated daily and you fail to access it while you are on holiday for a week, there is no way of accessing those past editions (unless the feed creator makes them available on their web site).
Feeds will not be stored on a server or in an inbox waiting for you to download and read them.
However, it is technically possible that a program could download and store feeds on a regular basis, provided the computer is switched on. It is also technically feasible that a program running on another computer could perform this task for you. As far as I know neither of these facilities are actually available at present.
RSS feeds often include many old items. In most cases new items are inserted at the top and old items dropped off the bottom. In many cases items are not dated, even though it is technically extremely easy to do so. This means that you often find yourself reading the same items repeatedly, or having to scroll down past old items. To avoid this, some RSS feed readers provide a means of marking items which have been read, so that they are not displayed in the future.
Sometimes feeds only contain a very brief title, with a hypertext link to the full text. For people reading feeds while online this can be an advantage but for people reading feeds offline it is a very serious disadvantage. However, many feeds contain larger extracts and some feeds contain the full text of every item. In some cases you can even decide which style of feed you prefer to subscribe to. Descriptive names such as "Full Version" and "Lite Version" are often used.
Finding RSS feeds can be difficult. They do not tend to appear on normal search engines and they tend to be tucked away on web sites. However, most RSS feed reader programs provide a means of displaying lists of RSS feeds.
The process of subscribing to RSS feeds requires the ability to copy and paste a URL into an RSS feed reader program. In many cases, web pages listing the URL's of RSS feeds do not explain this process.
How Do I Subscribe To An RSS Feed?
On a web site, look for buttons marked RSS or XML, or for links labelled RSS or Syndication.
If the RSS feed's URL is listed as text, select it and copy it with Edit > Copy or by pressing CTRL/C.
If the RSS feed appears as a link on a web page, perhaps in the form of a button labelled XML or RSS, right-click on the link (or button) and select the "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location" option.
In the RSS feed reader program, select the option to subscribe to a feed.
Either type in the feed's URL, or paste it in, usually by clicking in the relevant field and pressing CTRL/V. Check that the "http://" prefix appears at the start of the URL once and once only.
What Advantages Does RSS Offer People Creating Feeds?
The main advantage for people creating feeds is that their material will not be blocked by ISP's or programs running on readers' computers that mistake them for spam. This has become a very serious problem for some email newsletters over the past year or two.
Another very significant advantage for creators is that RSS is self-administering. There is no need to maintain lists of subscribers and automatic subscription programs such as ListServ and MajorDomo.
Because RSS feeds are constantly available, the load on servers is to a large extent spread throughout the day rather than peaking when email newsletters are sent.
What Disadvantages Does RSS Have For People Creating Feeds?
The feed creator has an additional outlet to maintain. However, programs are available to automatically create RSS feeds from other sources such as text files or web page files.
As far as I know, there is no method of discovering how many subscribers an RSS feed has. This is a very serious problem if a feed contains advertisements, since advertisers obviously want to know the number of subscribers in order to negotiate an appropriate payment. It may be possible to determine the number of subscribers to an RSS feed by examining the server's logs if you have access to them but that subject is beyond my level of knowledge.
At present, RSS is not widely known among the general public. This situation is however changing fairly rapidly at the moment.
Publicising RSS feeds is difficult for small unknown organisations. Organisations with a prominent Internet presence can publicise their RSS feeds on their web sites and in their email newsletters.
How Much Risk Is There Of Accidentally Encountering Material That Is Inappropriate For Children In RSS Feeds?
The risk is extremely low, probably near zero. If you subscribe to an RSS feed and discover that it does contain any undesirable content then you can immediately unsubscribe from that feed with immediate effect.
How Much Risk Is There Of Infecting My Computer With A Virus, A Trojan Horse, A Worm, Adware, Spyware Or Other Malicious Software When Using RSS?
The risk of infecting a computer with malicious software when installing an RSS feed reader program is precisely the same as when installing any other program. With any program recommended by one of the reputable email newsletters the risk is very low. After downloading and before installing any program, be sure to virus scan the program's distribution file (the file you downloaded) using an anti-virus program with an up-to-date virus definition list. When installing the program, carefully check the licence agreement for any mention of adware or spyware elements before agreeing to its terms.
The risk of infecting a computer with malicious software when using an RSS feed reader is zero, according to several reliable sources. The inherent design of the RSS protocol means that when an RSS feed reader program is used no software can be installed on your computer, nor can any modifications be made to the files and settings stored on the computer.
Which Organisations Offer RSS Feeds? Can You Recommend Any RSS Feeds?
There are thousands, probably tens of thousands, of RSS feeds available, on a large range of subjects. The subject areas of RSS feeds are definitely not limited to computers and the Internet. The following are just a few examples.
| BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk | The BBC has a large number of frequently updated RSS feeds containing news stories. Unfortunately these feeds are not easy to find on the BBC's web site. |
| DigitalSpy http://www.digitalspy.co.uk | DigitalSpy has a number of relatively frequently updated RSS feeds with news stories about the various forms of digital television, mainly related to the UK. Click the "Syndication" button near the top of the DigitalSpy home page for details. |
| KBAlertz http://www.kbalertz.com/allkbs.aspx | KBAlertz regularly issue automatically generated lists of newly published and revised Microsoft KnowledgeBase articles. Unfortunately their RSS feeds do not work with the Amphetadesk RSS feed reader program but there is no problem with the SharpReader program. |
| LockerGnome http://www.lockergnome.com | LockerGnome has a large number of RSS feeds offering computer and Internet news and hints. There is a prominent link to the feeds on the LockerGnome home page. LockerGnome's web site also has a wealth of technical information about RSS. Some LockerGnome feeds are completely revised daily, some have new items added and old items removed each day, and some are less frequently updated. |
| Moreover http://www.moreover.com | Although Moreover offer a number of RSS feeds, I could not find a list of them or their URL's on Moreover's web site. |
| News4Sites http://www.news4sites.com | News4Site offer a number of RSS feeds. For the list of feeds, visit their web site's home page, click on "119 Feeds", then "RSS Newsfeeds". |
| NewsIsFree http://www.newsisfree.com | NewsIsFree offer a large number of RSS feeds. For the list of feeds, visit their web site's home page, click on "7924 sources", then choose a category. |
There are some RSS feed search engines and lists of popular feeds, for example:
The Amphetadesk and SharpReader RSS feed readers allow you to download RSS feeds while online and read them after going offline. There are almost certainly plenty of other feed readers which offer this facility, but some feed reader programs definitely do not.
Does Windows Include An RSS Feed Reader Program?
To the best of my knowledge, at the moment (Apr-04) no currently commercially available version of Windows includes an RSS feed reader program.
However, it seems highly likely that the next major release of Windows (codenamed "Longhorn") will include its own RSS feed reader.
I have not seen any rumours to suggest that either of the two forthcoming maintenance releases of Windows XP, XP SP2 or XP Reloaded, will include RSS feed readers.
Can You Recommend Any RSS Feed Reader Programs?
A large number of RSS feed reader programs are available. Some are free of charge, some are not.
Because I use a dial-up modem connection, I prefer to use an RSS feed reader which allows me to download all the feeds while online and then read them after going offline. People who have permanent Internet connections will probably prefer a different style of feed reader. The following are only suggestions and if you find an RSS feed reader that you are happy with then I would advise you to stick with it.
| Amphetadesk http://www.disobey.com/amphetadesk | Free of charge. | Size of program download file: 2158KB. | This feed reader is ideal for users who pay to be offline by the second and wish to download RSS information for reading after going offline. However, it is incompatible with some modern RSS formats, for example those used by kbAlertz. |
| Feedreader http://www.feedreader.com | Free of charge. | Size of program download file: 1238KB | This feed reader is probably a good choice for users with unmetered Internet access, who would prefer to read selective RSS articles while online. |
| SharpReader http://www.sharpreader.com | Free of charge. | Size of program download file: 674KB | This program is a good choice for those who prefer the three panel style of reader. SharpReader can be configured to only display unread items. It requires the Microsoft .NET Framework V1.1 to be installed. It operates well offline. |
There may well be far superior feed readers available. As in all such matters the choice of program is largely a matter of personal preference.
Can I Download And Install An RSS Feed Reader Program On A Computer That I Use At Work?
My advice is that you should never download or install any program on a computer that you use at work unless you have formal permission to do so.
In most companies, breaking this rule is regarded a very serious matter. This includes RSS feed reader programs.
If you think that you might have a legitimate use for an RSS feed reader at work, contact your company's computer department.
How Difficult Is It To Create An RSS Feed?
RSS feeds with simple formatting are as easy to create manually as simple web pages are.
The format of a simple RSS feed is shown in the following example, where I have used square brackets ([ and ]) instead of angle brackets (< and >), so as to prevent web browser programs trying to interpret the RSS tags.
[?xml version="1.0"?]
[rss version="0.92"]
[channel]
[title]Raven's Challenges[/title]
[link]You would put a web site's URL in here[/link]
[description]
A description of some of the challenges in the second series of Raven.
[/description]
[language]en-us[/language]
[item]
[title]Leap Of Faith:<BR>[/title]
[description]
Warriors climb a tree to a high platform and then have to jump, suspended only by a safety line, attempting to grab treasure rings as they do so.
[/description]
[/item]
[item]
[title]Riddle Path:<BR>[/title]
[description]
The current leader has to solve the Riddle Book's puzzle, assisted by the warrior in second place.
[/description]
[/item]
[item]
[title]The Way Of The Warrior:<BR>[/title]
[description]
An almost impossibly difficult obstacle course. Failure means elimination, success means survival.
[/description]
[/item]
[/channel]
[/rss]
An in HTML, the physical layout of the file is irrelevant.
As in HTML, tags are enclosed in angle brackets, usually come in opening and closing pairs, and must be correctly nested.
The code "<BR>" creates a line break. To avoid HTML tags being interpreted as RSS tags by RSS feed reader programs, their enclosing angle brackets must be specified as < (less than) and > (greater than). In HTML, the [BR] tag specifies a line break. This format is sometimes called "escaped HTML".
Using a text editor such as Notepad, the text comprising an RSS feed should be placed in a plain ASCII text file with an extension of xml. This file should then be uploaded to a web server in exactly the same way as a web page htm file.
Once uploaded to a server, an RSS feed can be syntax checked free of charge by entering its URL to Feed Validator (external link verified Mar-04).
A number of programs are available which can automatically create RSS feeds from web pages and other sources. I have not yet investigated any of these programs.
When I Try To Use The Amphetadesk RSS Feed Reader Program Offline, It Says "Web page unavailable offline". Is There A Solution?
Try clicking the "offline" option in your web browser program. In Internet Explorer 6.0 this is "File > Work Offline". Then click the browser's "Refresh" or "Reload" toolbar button. This usually fixes the problem.
The SharpReader Program Doesn't Remember Its Maximised Window State Between Sessions. Is There A Solution?
Try the AutoSizer utility, available free of charge from http://www.southbaypc.com
AutoSizer also works with other programs which fail to remember their maximised state, including Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer.
Hint: Don't click the "Exit" button in AutoSizer, as it shuts down the program. Use the "X" button in the top-righthand corner instead.
Why Are There So Many Versions Of RSS? What Is Atom?
There are numerous versions of RSS, and the situation is extremely confusing. However, for users of modern feed readers all these complications can be simply ignored, as programs will display all versions. Feed authors do need to investigate the different versions and decide which is best for their purposes.
Atom is an alternative Internet protocol, very similar to RSS. As far as I know it is nowhere near as popular as RSS. I have never seen any mention of a normal web site offering an Atom feed.
Most recently modified 2-Sep-04