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It comes down to a push versus pull architecture. RSS is pull based, you aren't notified when a feed is updated. Most people today want push based with a feed,

It comes down to a push versus pull architecture. RSS is pull based, you aren't notified when a feed is updated. Most people today want push based with a feed, with all the bells and whistles of a social feed that is updated instantly. Federation comes in mainly because push based systems require a server managing who follows who, what is posted, and who to notify of updates. That's a lot of information for one central service to be responsible for, leading some to think its better to federate and trust a bunch of servers to host copies of some or all of that same data.

palata 2y ago
Right, those are good points. Still I can't help but to wonder whether those notifications are needed or not. Except for instant messaging, I generally don't want notifications. Like I don't need to be told that a new podcast is available, I'll see it next time I open the app. I would like to at least have the choice to use RSS instead of having to go through a complicated federated system.
- _heimdall 2y ago
  That's actually the main reason I still use RSS, I never found a need for most notifications and the complexity required to manage a push-based system aren't worth it to me. Even if I'm using someone else's system, I just don't like the idea of giving them a reason/need to manage all that for me. RSS works fine 99% of the time.
account42 2y ago
The push-based federated systems could still be built on top of RSS - have a pull-based feed as the source of truth and then optional push-based notifications for those that want more timely updates. Ideally the push-based parts would be optional for both ends so you could host a static feed and still have people see those updates in their fancy fediverse apps, just not immediately when you post them. Instead we have a completely different standard without a simple core that you can easily implement if you don't need all the bells and whistles.

palata 2y ago

Right, those are good points. Still I can't help but to wonder whether those notifications are needed or not. Except for instant messaging, I generally don't want notifications. Like I don't need to be told that a new podcast is available, I'll see it next time I open the app. I would like to at least have the choice to use RSS instead of having to go through a complicated federated system.

_heimdall 2y ago
That's actually the main reason I still use RSS, I never found a need for most notifications and the complexity required to manage a push-based system aren't worth it to me. Even if I'm using someone else's system, I just don't like the idea of giving them a reason/need to manage all that for me. RSS works fine 99% of the time.

account42 2y ago

The push-based federated systems could still be built on top of RSS - have a pull-based feed as the source of truth and then optional push-based notifications for those that want more timely updates. Ideally the push-based parts would be optional for both ends so you could host a static feed and still have people see those updates in their fancy fediverse apps, just not immediately when you post them. Instead we have a completely different standard without a simple core that you can easily implement if you don't need all the bells and whistles.