RSS (file format)

RSS is a family of XML file formats for web syndication used by (amongst other things) news websites and weblogs. The abbreviation is used to refer to the following standards:

Atom

In reaction to perceived deficiencies in both RSS branches (and because RSS 2.0 is frozen with the intention that future work be done under a different name), a third group started a new syndication specification, Atom, in June 2003, and their work was later adopted by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Related Topics:
Atom - June 2003 - Internet Engineering Task Force

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The relative benefits of Atom and the two RSS branches are currently a subject of heated debate within the web syndication community. Supporters claim that Atom improves on both RSS branches by relying more heavily on standard XML features, by supporting autodiscovery, and by specifying a payload container that can handle many different kinds of content unambiguously. Opponents claim that Atom unnecessarily introduces a third branch of syndication specifications, further confusing the marketplace.

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For a comparison of Atom 1.0 to RSS 2.0 from the point of view of an Atom supporter, see Tim Bray's article here: http://www.tbray.org/atom/RSS-and-Atom.

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