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benruttertoday at 9:59 AM1 replyview on HN

This is a great point. Maybe we can start now?

Apparently is is called web feed, although I never have heard this until I searched off the back of your comment[0].

Apparently, web feed also encompasses Atom and JSON feed as well as RSS, which is probably more in the spirit of how people actually say "RSS".

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_feed


Replies

TonyStrtoday at 11:31 AM

I think web feed is a good name, though I also think invoking "Web" might put off some users. There are a few things that are unknown to new users:

1. How do you subscribe? 2. How do you post your own? 3. Do I need a browser to read feeds? 4. Can I view my feed from any device?

The current status quo for web feeds is very unfriendly to new users. If you click on an rss icon or an rss feed link, it takes you to a white page with a bunch of text that you don't understand. It just makes you think you're not supposed to be here, so you close the tab and leave.

Many feed readers are old and look dated. The UI can often be confused for an email client. And many of these readers don't support synchronizing feeds with different devices.