I've been advocating for RSS support, and you should too

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

RSS is being championed as a simple, open way to follow blogs, podcasts, videos, and other updates without ads, tracking, or opaque algorithms. Commenters highlight how easy it is to implement and consume, share tips for finding or generating feeds (including for YouTube, Reddit, GitHub, newsletters, and podcasts), and describe workflows built entirely around RSS readers. At the same time, many lament that browsers dropped built‑in support and that publishers restrict or abandon feeds for monetization or analytics reasons, arguing that broader RSS adoption would counterbalance centralized social platforms and “push” ecosystems.

Value of RSS to Users

  • Seen as simple, open, and under user control: one place to follow blogs, news, videos, software releases, job posts, etc.
  • Major benefits: no algorithmic feeds, fewer ads and trackers, reduced spam vs email, and no need for push notifications.
  • Many use RSS as primary news/information source and report strong engagement (people emailing when feeds break).
  • Some only follow sites that offer RSS and drop platforms if RSS disappears.

Implementation and Standards (RSS vs Atom)

  • Implementing feeds is described as easy: often a toggle in static site generators/blog engines, or a few lines of code/custom XML.
  • Suggested strategy: reuse existing list/index generation logic to output title, link, summary, date.
  • Debate over RSS vs Atom:
    • Atom is argued to be a clearer, less ambiguous superset; many recommend using Atom while labeling it “RSS” for users.
    • Others prefer RSS for its perceived simplicity and brand recognition.
  • Technical details discussed: guid/id for item identity, polling with ETag/If-Modified-Since, optional ttl/skip fields.

Discovery, Tooling, and Hidden Feeds

  • Many sites have feeds but don’t link them; several tools try to auto-detect feeds or generate them from HTML/newsletters.
  • Numerous services and readers are mentioned (self-hosted and hosted), plus tools to convert newsletters, CSS-selected page elements, or walled-garden content into feeds.
  • Platforms like YouTube, Reddit, GitHub, and some social networks expose under-documented feed URLs, including special playlist IDs and profile feeds.

Push vs Pull, Federation, and Browser Support

  • RSS is pull-based; some argue users don’t need real-time push, others want federated, push-first systems.
  • Some propose layering optional push (e.g., WebSub-like mechanisms) on top of RSS; others point to newer protocols like ActivityPub.
  • Strong frustration that browsers removed integrated feed handling and discovery; calls for bringing back a simple “RSS button.”

Publisher Incentives, Monetization, and Abuse

  • Concern from publishers: full-text feeds bypass sites, ads, tracking, and homepages, making monetization harder.
  • Counterpoints: use teaser summaries, special subscriber feeds, or RSS-based “offers” as a marketing channel.
  • Some public or government sites have dropped RSS despite no ad-based incentive, attributed to digital illiteracy or vendor choices.
  • Worries about RSS aiding content scraping/AI rewriting; others argue scrapers will just use HTML anyway.

Adoption Challenges and UX Issues

  • Newcomers find RSS UX confusing: downloading XML/.bin files, no browser support, unclear how to “subscribe.”
  • Some think RSS is fading or “too old”; others dispute this, noting active usage, tooling, and advocacy.