Ask the Tech Guy: |
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| In this weekly column, our resident "tech guy" answers reader's tech questions. | |
| This week's question comes from Louise Randall from California. | |
| Dear Tech Guy, | |
| I keep seeing "RSS" on websites that I visit. What is it? | |
| RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a technology to read the web content that you want at your convenience and all in one place. Instead of having to peruse through websites for topics that may be of interest to you, your computer can request an RSS feed to deliver that information directly into your reader. This is especially helpful if you usually browse numerous sites. | |
| Although RSS was developed in 1997, its use really became more widespread about two years ago. It has increased substantially in popularity ever since. | |
| Here is how it works. Initially, you install a feed reader program on your computer which retrieves the feeds. These programs are often referred to as aggregators. A website creates the feed, and posts it to make it available to the reader. Often the feeds are created in an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file, and when new articles are added at the originating website, this file gets updated to reflect the additions or changes. | |
| There are also web-based readers that allow you to read the feeds in your browser, without having to install a stand-alone program on your computer. Additionally, some programs work within Microsoft Outlook®, which will let you read your feeds in that program if you prefer. | |
| Generally, the feeds contain a topic header, a short description of the article, and a link back to that article on a website. You can then either read the article in your reader program, or in your favorite web browser. Most RSS programs let you set the rate of how often it will update a feed. | |
| Have you seen those small, orange-colored boxes labeled RSS or XML? These are links to the XML files that contain the RSS information. To subscribe to a feed, you simply click the icon, and then copy and paste the URL (address) of that file into your reader program. From that point forward, you will automatically receive all of the updated feeds for which you have subscribed. | |
| As you can see, this can be a great time saver. All of the articles are automatically made available to you in one place. At your leisure, you can scan the headers in your reader, and open the articles that are of interest to you. What’s more, some readers will even search feeds for certain content, and store those in a special holding area for you. So download a reader, and see what all the RSS fuss is about! | |
| Below is a short list of available feed readers to help get you started. | |
| Windows Readers: | |
FeedDemon . . . . . . An excellent reader for Windows |
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NewsGator . . . . . . Works within Microsoft Outlook |
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SharpReader . . . . . . A clean interface, requires .NET Framework |
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| Mac Readers: | |
| NetNewsWire . . . . . . An excellent reader for the Mac http://www.ranchero.com |
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| Shrook . . . . . . A new reader for the Mac http://www.shrook.com |
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| Linux Reader: | |
Liferea . . . . . . Works in the GTK/GNOME environment |
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| Web-based Readers: | |
Yahoo! . . . . . . Can add RSS feeds to your personal portal page |
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Feedster . . . . . . A very popular site |
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NewsIsFree . . . . . . Another popular site |
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CompleteRSS . . . . . . A clean interface |
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Do you have a question about computers or other types of technology? the tech guy with your question. |
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©2006 Education Oasis™ http://www.educationoasis.com |
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