3 ms·
> The “level 0” solution is to periodically fetch each feed, parse it, diff it and hopefully find something new. Wait, do feed readers really not do a HEAD req
by MatthewPhillips 13y ago
> The “level 0” solution is to periodically fetch each feed, parse it, diff it and hopefully find something new.
Wait, do feed readers really not do a HEAD request first and check Last-Modified ?
- gboudrias 13y agoI don't think those values are always reliable.
- jrochkind1 13y agoSo which is easier, getting servers to fix them to be reliable, or getting everyone to change to a new json pubsubhub whatever thingy, that they'll probably do unrealiably anyway too?
- bct 13y agoI would hope that they wouldn't do it that way; they should be sending a GET with If-Modified-Since. The same result, making half the requests.
- julien 13y agoHEAD is still a waste of resources. the http body in the context of feeds is usually pretty small and does not consume a lot of resources compared to actually initiating (or even keeping) the TCP connection. HEAD also means the server as to do everything but send the data to make sure it does not need to sent it => waste.
- icebraining 13y agoHEAD also means the server as to do everything but send the data to make sure it does not need to sent it Not at all. If you have the RSS as a static file - and that's the best way for a resource that is much more often read than written - the web server can just stat() the file and get the modified timestamp instead of having to open and read it.
- julien 13y agoShow me a service that has static files as RSS :) no matter what a stat() is still more expensive than nothing