File:Wikipedia rss with mozilla thunderbird.PNG | |
Filename extension |
.rss, .xml |
---|---|
Internet media type |
application/rss+xml (Registration Being Prepared)[1] |
Extended from | XML |
RSS (formally "RDF Site Summary", known colloquially as "Really Simple Syndication") is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel", contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually.
RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader" or an "aggregator". The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.
The initials "RSS" are used to refer to the following formats:
- Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)
- RDF Site Summary (RSS 1.0 and RSS 0.90)
- Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91)
RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for the creation of data formats.
History
File:RSS on Safari.png thumb right Screenshot of an RSS feed in Safari 2.0.4 The RSS formats were preceded by several attempts at Web syndication syndication that did not achieve widespread popularity. The basic idea of restructuring information about web sites goes back to as early as 1995, when Ramanathan V. Guha and others in Apple Computer's Advanced Technology Group developed the Meta Content Framework (MCF).[2] For a more detailed discussion of these early developments, see the history of web syndication technology.
RDF Site Summary, the first version of RSS, was created by Ramanathan V. Guha Guha at Netscape Communications Corporation Netscape in March 1999 for use on the My.Netscape.Com portal. This version became known as RSS 0.9.<ref>{{cite web url=http://my.netscape.com/publish/he
Incompatibilities
As noted above, there are several different versions of RSS, falling into two major branches (RDF and 2.*). The RDF, or RSS 1.* branch includes the following versions:
- RSS 0.90 was the original Netscape RSS version. This RSS was called RDF Site Summary, but was based on an early working draft of the RDF standard, and was not compatible with the final RDF Recommendation.
- RSS 1.0 is an open format by the RSS-DEV Working Group, again standing for RDF Site Summary. RSS 1.0 is an RDF format like RSS 0.90, but not fully compatible with it, since 1.0 is based on the final RDF 1.0 Recommendation.
- RSS 1.1 is also an open format and is intended to update and replace RSS 1.0. The specification is an independent draft not supported or endorsed in any way by the RSS-Dev Working Group or any other organization.
The RSS 2.* branch (initially UserLand, now Harvard) includes the following versions:
- RSS 0.91 is the simplified RSS version released by Netscape, and also the version number of the simplified version championed by Dave Winer from Userland Software. The Netscape version was now called Rich Site Summary; this was no longer an RDF format, but was relatively easy to use. It remains the most common RSS variant.
- RSS 0.92 through 0.94 are expansions of the RSS 0.91 format, which are mostly compatible with each other and with Winer's version of RSS 0.91, but are not compatible with RSS 0.90. In all Userland RSS 0.9x specifications, RSS was no longer an acronym.
- RSS 2.0.1 has the internal version number 2.0. RSS 2.0.1 was proclaimed to be "frozen", but still updated shortly after release without changing the version number. RSS now stood for Really Simple Syndication. The major change in this version is an explicit extension mechanism using XML Namespaces.
For the most part, later versions in each branch are backward-compatible with earlier versions (aside from non-conformant RDF syntax in 0.90), and both versions include properly documented extension mechanisms using XML Namespaces, either directly (in the 2.* branch) or through RDF (in the 1.* branch). Most syndication software supports both branches. Mark Pilgrim's article "The Myth of RSS Compatibility" discusses RSS version compatibility in more detail.
The extension mechanisms make it possible for each branch to track innovations in the other. For example, the RSS 2.* branch was the first to support enclosures, making it the current leading choice for podcasting, and as of mid-2005 is the format supported for that use by iTunes and other podcasting software; however, an enclosure extension is now available for the RSS 1.* branch, mod_enclosure. Likewise, the RSS 2.* core specification does not support providing full-text in addition to a synopsis, but the RSS 1.* markup can be (and often is) used as an extension. There are also several common outside extension packages available, including a new proposal from Microsoft for use in Internet Explorer 7.
The most serious compatibility problem is with HTML markup. Userland's RSS reader—generally considered as the reference implementation—did not originally filter out HTML markup from feeds. As a result, publishers began placing HTML markup into the titles and descriptions of items in their RSS feeds. This behavior has become expected of readers, to the point of becoming a de facto standard, though there is still some inconsistency in how software handles this markup, particularly in titles. The RSS 2.0 specification was later updated to include examples of entity-encoded HTML; however, all prior plain text usages remain valid.
Modules
The primary objective of all RSS modules is to extend the basic XML schema established for more robust syndication of content. This inherently allows for more diverse, yet standardized, transactions without modifying the core RSS specification.
To accomplish this extension, a tightly controlled vocabulary (in the RSS world, "module"; in the XML world, "schema") is declared through an XML namespace to give names to concepts and relationships between those concepts.
Some RSS 2.0 modules with established namespaces:
BitTorrent and RSS
Several BitTorrent-based peer-to-peer applications have also announced support for RSS. Such feeds (also known as Torrent/RSS-es or Torrentcasts) will allow client applications to download files automatically from the moment the RSS reader detects them (also known as Broadcatching). Most common BitTorrent clients already offer RSS support.
Examples
RSS 1.0
The following is an example of an RSS 1.0 file.
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rdf:RDF
xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/">
<channel rdf:about="http://www.xml.com/xml/news.rss">
<title>XML.com</title>
<link>http://xml.com/pub</link>
<description>
XML.com features a rich mix of information and services
for the XML community.
</description>
<image rdf:resource="http://xml.com/universal/images/xml_tiny.gif" />
<items>
<rdf:Seq>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="http://xml.com/pub/2000/08/09/xslt/xslt.html" />
<rdf:li rdf:resource="http://xml.com/pub/2000/08/09/rdfdb/index.html" />
</rdf:Seq>
</items>
<textinput rdf:resource="http://search.xml.com" />
</channel>
<image rdf:about="http://xml.com/universal/images/xml_tiny.gif">
<title>XML.com</title>
<link>http://www.xml.com</link>
<url>http://xml.com/universal/images/xml_tiny.gif</url>
</image>
<item rdf:about="http://xml.com/pub/2000/08/09/xslt/xslt.html">
<title>Processing Inclusions with XSLT</title>
<link>http://xml.com/pub/2000/08/09/xslt/xslt.html</link>
<description>
Processing document inclusions with general XML tools can be
problematic. This article proposes a way of preserving inclusion
information through SAX-based processing.
</description>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://xml.com/pub/2000/08/09/rdfdb/index.html">
<title>Putting RDF to Work</title>
<link>http://xml.com/pub/2000/08/09/rdfdb/index.html</link>
<description>
Tool and API support for the Resource Description Framework
is slowly coming of age. Edd Dumbill takes a look at RDFDB,
one of the most exciting new RDF toolkits.
</description>
</item>
<textinput rdf:about="http://search.xml.com">
<title>Search XML.com</title>
<description>Search XML.com's XML collection</description>
<name>s</name>
<link>http://search.xml.com</link>
</textinput>
</rdf:RDF>
RSS 2.0
The following is an example of an RSS 2.0 file.
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>Liftoff News</title>
<link>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/</link>
<description>Liftoff to Space Exploration.</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2003 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<lastBuildDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2003 09:41:01 GMT</lastBuildDate>
<docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
<generator>Weblog Editor 2.0</generator>
<managingEditor>editor@example.com</managingEditor>
<webMaster>webmaster@example.com</webMaster>
<item>
<title>Star City</title>
<link>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/news/2003/news-starcity.asp</link>
<description>How do Americans get ready to work with Russians aboard the
International Space Station? They take a crash course in culture, language
and protocol at Russia's Star City.</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2003 09:39:21 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/2003/06/03.html#item573</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Space Exploration</title>
<link>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/</link>
<description>Sky watchers in Europe, Asia, and parts of Alaska and Canada
will experience a partial eclipse of the Sun on Saturday, May 31st.</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2003 11:06:42 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/2003/05/30.html#item572</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Engine That Does More</title>
<link>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/news/2003/news-VASIMR.asp</link>
<description>Before man travels to Mars, NASA hopes to design new engines
that will let us fly through the Solar System more quickly. The proposed
VASIMR engine would do that.</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2003 08:37:32 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/2003/05/27.html#item571</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Astronauts' Dirty Laundry</title>
<link>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/news/2003/news-laundry.asp</link>
<description>Compared to earlier spacecraft, the International Space
Station has many luxuries, but laundry facilities are not one of them.
Instead, astronauts have other options.</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2003 08:56:02 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/2003/05/20.html#item570</guid>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
See also
Mashup creators
References
- ^ "The application/rss+xml Media Type". Network Working Group. May 22 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ {{cite web url=http://news.com.com/2100-1001-203893.html title=W3C takes first step toward RDF spec author=Lash, Alex date=1997-10-03 accessdate=2007-02-16 }}
External links
Specifications
- RSS 0.90 Specification
- RSS 0.91 Spec, revision 3
- RSS 1.0 Specifications (RDF Site Summary 1.0) Modules
- RSS 2.0 Specification by Dave Winer
- RSS 2.0 (2.0.10) specification by the RSS Advisory Board
- Draft Microsoft specification for Simple Sharing Extensions to RSS (See Wikipedia article)
Articles
- RSS Political Faq (Dave Winer)
- History of the RSS Fork (Mark Pilgrim)
- Building an RSS feed Tutorial with example.