Atom is better than RSS, in ways that matter

6 hours ago

Atom is technically superior to RSS, yet many still use RSS due to ignorance or indifference.
RSS has ambiguous title encoding semantics, making it unreliable for characters like < or &, while Atom provides clear text, html, and xhtml constructs.
RSS lacks a standardized distinction between summary and full content, leading to interoperability issues.
Podcasts remain heavily dependent on RSS due to historical dominance of Apple's iTunes/Apple Podcasts, which never fully supported Atom.

Many blogs lack RSS feeds, especially those built with modern frontend stacks by passionate programmers.
Adding RSS to a custom static site generator is straightforward, as it's similar to HTML generation.
Common RSS issues include missing meta tags for automatic discovery, invalid XML, mismatched content, and lacking permanent IDs.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an older tool that helps users manage content feeds and avoid algorithmic control on social media platforms.
RSS allows websites to publish new content to a feed, which RSS readers display in chronological order, similar to following podcasts.
Users need to choose an RSS reader (web-based or app), add feeds by pasting URLs, and use features like folders and filters to organize content.

The author switched their website from RSS to Atom feeds in 2026, acknowledging they are about fifteen to twenty years late.
The change was made impulsively during a break from algebraic graph theory studies, using Common Lisp, and took about an hour to implement.
The key change involved replacing the 'key' attribute with a 'uuid' attribute in posts to meet Atom feed requirements for URI-based IDs.

Emails still don't support inline videos in 2026.
RSS readers sanitize HTML inconsistently, making inline videos tricky; some require wrapping videos in <a> links, which can override playback controls in other readers.
QuickTime Player's 'New Movie Recording' (not 'New Screen Recording') can record from USB-connected iPhones or Apple TVs over Wi-Fi.

RSS feed readers are experiencing a renaissance due to the FediVerse and IndieWeb, with new services like Bubbles emerging.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a lightweight protocol for syndicating updated website content, still widely used across the internet.
RSS readers help users efficiently manage information by aggregating updates from multiple sites, offering features like tagging and rules.

Many blogs lack RSS feeds, especially those built with modern frontend stacks by passionate programmers.
Adding RSS to a custom static site generator is straightforward, as it's similar to HTML generation.
Common RSS issues include missing meta tags for automatic discovery, invalid XML, mismatched content, and lacking permanent IDs.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an older tool that helps users manage content feeds and avoid algorithmic control on social media platforms.
RSS allows websites to publish new content to a feed, which RSS readers display in chronological order, similar to following podcasts.
Users need to choose an RSS reader (web-based or app), add feeds by pasting URLs, and use features like folders and filters to organize content.

The author switched their website from RSS to Atom feeds in 2026, acknowledging they are about fifteen to twenty years late.
The change was made impulsively during a break from algebraic graph theory studies, using Common Lisp, and took about an hour to implement.
The key change involved replacing the 'key' attribute with a 'uuid' attribute in posts to meet Atom feed requirements for URI-based IDs.

Emails still don't support inline videos in 2026.
RSS readers sanitize HTML inconsistently, making inline videos tricky; some require wrapping videos in <a> links, which can override playback controls in other readers.
QuickTime Player's 'New Movie Recording' (not 'New Screen Recording') can record from USB-connected iPhones or Apple TVs over Wi-Fi.

RSS feed readers are experiencing a renaissance due to the FediVerse and IndieWeb, with new services like Bubbles emerging.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a lightweight protocol for syndicating updated website content, still widely used across the internet.
RSS readers help users efficiently manage information by aggregating updates from multiple sites, offering features like tagging and rules.

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