RSS is still the best way to track the news on the web, and these RSS readers can keep you right up to date.

Whatever the linguistic details, one of the main roles of RSS is to supply directly to you a steady stream of updates from a website. Every new article published on that site is served up in a list that can be interpreted by an RSS reader.

Unfortunately, RSS is no longer how most of us consume “content.” (Google famously killed its beloved Google Reader more than a decade ago.) It’s now the norm to check social media or the front pages of many different sites to see what’s new. But I think RSS still has a place in your life: Especially for those who don’t want to miss anything or have algorithms choosing what they read, it remains one of the best ways to navigate the internet. Here’s a primer on what RSS can (still!) do for you, and how to get started with it, even in this late era of online existence.

  • BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nzEnglish
    01·
    9 months ago

    If RSS is so great why aren’t people using it? Why isn’t there a dozen readers on the market?

    maybe it’s just not that useful and that’s why nobody is using it.

    • Ann Archy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      9 months ago

      This is a common logical fallacy known as “argumentum ad populum” (appeal to popularity). You equate the popularity of the idea as a basis for determining its validity.

      Compare, “if cars are so great, why is everyone still riding horses?”

      • BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nzEnglish
        1·
        9 months ago

        But everybody isn’t riding horses. In order for your analogy to work it would have to like this. “If horses are so great why isn’t everybody riding horses to work”

      • Lifter@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        0·
        9 months ago

        But it actually makes sense with technology. If you need help, you want there to be a large community and corpus of knowledge to draw from.

        • Ann Archy@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          9 months ago

          I would argue that you can’t do better for help and support than for old niche technologies and frameworks, because things like that always have a vibrant community of enthusiasts ready and eager to help.

          Compare eMacs. Why isn’t everyone using eMacs? It’s basically superpowers for any client you install it on, and it installs on everything. Ridiculously hardcore fanbase, we’re talking original flame wars on Usenet levels supporters.

          Usenet, apropos, is quite topical on this matter. You should look it up. Fuck it here’s the robot for ya:

          Usenet is a global discussion system where users can post messages and read responses in subject-based forums called newsgroups. It’s decentralized, meaning there’s no central server or authority, and it operates across many different servers worldwide. Users can participate in a wide range of discussions, from technology and science to hobbies and arts. It’s text-based and functions somewhat like a precursor to modern internet forums and social media, but with a more straightforward, less graphical interface.

          Original RSS, from back in the day. Still active.

          If you’re interested: https://techjury.net/blog/what-is-usenet

        • Ilflish@lemm.eeEnglish
          01·
          9 months ago

          Not really. In fact technology is often a great example of good demand but little effort put in to meet it. Open source software is riddled with issues that people are too eager enough to report but not eager enough to fix for everyone . We have an example of Palworld finally filling a niche described in the market for almost 2 decades.