4 ms·

But most people never knew what it is. Why would RSS be any more dead than 10 years ago?

by pvorb 8y ago

bryanrasmussen 8y ago
Because 10 years ago there was quite a bit of hope if not absolute certainty that RSS or some syndication format was going to 'conquer the world'. Now there is a certainty that this will never happen. In our world the certainty of diminishment is equated to death. And really at some point in the future it will diminish enough that Google Chrome will announce a release not supporting RSS in the browser (but you can still get it via plugins!) and then we can have some more RSS is really dead now articles. on edit: assuming Google chrome supports it now which I wouldn't know because I don't use chrome as my primary browser.
- mcv 8y ago
  Not conquering the world doesn't mean you're dead. I never conquered the world, but I'm very much alive. We need to get rid of this idea that the only way to survive is to dominate. You can survive in a niche. There are still people using IRC, even. New things become popular, but there will always be people who don't go along with the latest fad and either stick with a previous one or jump ahead to the next one. Personally, I've never really used RSS, but I'm seriously thinking of starting, particularly because of the demise of Google+. (Google+ really is dead, or at least dying soon, but that is because Google is actively pulling the plug.) Google+ got me into contact with a number of blogs whose owners posted their blog updates on G+. Now that G+ is dying, I need a new way to keep up to date, and I find myself looking for a new social network that allows me to follow blogs of people who themselves may not be using that network. RSS is the obvious answer here. I believe Hubzilla supports RSS, so that's immediately an interesting candidate to me.
  - bryanrasmussen 8y ago
    you will note that I did not say it was dead, I explained the urge on other people's part to label it as such. I do believe it is dying in the same way someone with a degenerative disease is, slowly over years, with a few major hits to come that will make everyone say 'now it's really happening. It's also sad because this disease is one that could be halted, even turned around, if it was to the interest of anyone with the power to do so. you may be alive, but xlink is pretty much dead. irc may be alive but I don't think anyone argues it is in good health. RSS is alive but it doesn't get out of the house much and there are a lot of rumours as to how bad exactly the condition is. on edit: formatting
Tepix 8y ago
Maybe because the laymen's share of users is ever-increasing?
interfixus 8y ago
Ten years ago, every browser would have featured a prominent orange button. People wouldn't have a clue what it was for, but you could point them to it, and the browser would present som sort of live bookmark system or whatever. It was worthwhile to deliver a feed. Then Google embraced, extended, and extinguished, and also the Facebook nightmare began in earnest. Therefore less undead today than then.
- Jaruzel 8y ago
  Google still support RSS in Chrome, albeit via their official extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-extensio/nlbjncdgjeocebhnmkbbbdekmmmcbfjd https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-e... I'm still sad that it's not an in-built feature on any mainstream browser anymore though.
  - interfixus 8y ago
    I was mainly referring the Google Reader cycle: Lure the whole world in with convenience. Dazzle with features. Kill.

But most people never knew what it is. Why would RSS be any more dead than 10 years ago?

by pvorb 8y ago

But most people never knew what it is. Why would RSS be any more dead than 10 years ago?

Because 10 years ago there was quite a bit of hope if not absolute certainty that RSS or some syndication format was going to 'conquer the world'. Now there is a certainty that this will never happen. In our world the certainty of diminishment is equated to death. And really at some point in the future it will diminish enough that Google Chrome will announce a release not supporting RSS in the browser (but you can still get it via plugins!) and then we can have some more RSS is really dead now articles. on edit: assuming Google chrome supports it now which I wouldn't know because I don't use chrome as my primary browser.

mcv 8y ago
Not conquering the world doesn't mean you're dead. I never conquered the world, but I'm very much alive. We need to get rid of this idea that the only way to survive is to dominate. You can survive in a niche. There are still people using IRC, even. New things become popular, but there will always be people who don't go along with the latest fad and either stick with a previous one or jump ahead to the next one. Personally, I've never really used RSS, but I'm seriously thinking of starting, particularly because of the demise of Google+. (Google+ really is dead, or at least dying soon, but that is because Google is actively pulling the plug.) Google+ got me into contact with a number of blogs whose owners posted their blog updates on G+. Now that G+ is dying, I need a new way to keep up to date, and I find myself looking for a new social network that allows me to follow blogs of people who themselves may not be using that network. RSS is the obvious answer here. I believe Hubzilla supports RSS, so that's immediately an interesting candidate to me.
- bryanrasmussen 8y ago
  you will note that I did not say it was dead, I explained the urge on other people's part to label it as such. I do believe it is dying in the same way someone with a degenerative disease is, slowly over years, with a few major hits to come that will make everyone say 'now it's really happening. It's also sad because this disease is one that could be halted, even turned around, if it was to the interest of anyone with the power to do so. you may be alive, but xlink is pretty much dead. irc may be alive but I don't think anyone argues it is in good health. RSS is alive but it doesn't get out of the house much and there are a lot of rumours as to how bad exactly the condition is. on edit: formatting

Tepix 8y ago

Maybe because the laymen's share of users is ever-increasing?

interfixus 8y ago

Ten years ago, every browser would have featured a prominent orange button. People wouldn't have a clue what it was for, but you could point them to it, and the browser would present som sort of live bookmark system or whatever. It was worthwhile to deliver a feed. Then Google embraced, extended, and extinguished, and also the Facebook nightmare began in earnest. Therefore less undead today than then.

Jaruzel 8y ago
Google still support RSS in Chrome, albeit via their official extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-extensio/nlbjncdgjeocebhnmkbbbdekmmmcbfjd https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-e... I'm still sad that it's not an in-built feature on any mainstream browser anymore though.
- interfixus 8y ago
  I was mainly referring the Google Reader cycle: Lure the whole world in with convenience. Dazzle with features. Kill.