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p>Nothing and a whole lot!
All kidding aside, for you, these RSS applications willbe very beneficial and rewarding. These applications will make browsing, searching and subscribing to your favorite information or sites a lot more easier. You can now take control of your Internet, viewing and accessing the information you want to digest.
Microsoft's announcement of its plans to place RSS featuresinto its next Windows version, due out in 2006 and in servers by 2007, is truly groundbreaking . You can read more aboutMicrosoft's RSS plans here: Understanding RSS In The Next Windows.
But what does RSS mean to the average computer user atthis moment in time? Will people get RSS? Does Microsoft have an education project on their hands with RSS?
RSS is also one of the more democratic elements of theweb where the little guy has a say. It was more than fitting that Microsoft's RSS team met with Dave Winer(Mr. RSS to those who keep a close watch on all things RSS)and asked his opinions on these recent developments.
RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication' and it haslong been associated with blogs and blogging becausethey are written in RSS or XML format -- code like HTML.DOS stands for 'Disk Operating System' by the way and it's the platform for operating systems on yourcomputer. MS-DOS is the most widely used system.Ignorance can sometimes be overrated.
But as stated before, people don't have to understand 'HTML' to enjoy the Internet. They don't really have to know about servers, DOS, or even ISPs to get full benefit from the web. Likewise, RSS doesn't have to be known or even understood by the majority of the people who will be using it.
It has many personal and business applications that willtake 'keeping in touch' to a new level. Calendars, events,updates, personal photo albums...can all now be syndicatedwith the new RSS platform.
That's if Microsoft gets it right. First impressions appear tobe very promising and all indications show a much more powerfulRSS system, neatly integrated into the next version of Windows.Could this finally mean the 'coming of age' for RSS?
Microsoft's announcement may just be the nucleus of sucha system. Many components are already in place like podcasting,broadcatching, data feeds, etc. and its not that great a leap or too fantastical to imagine such a system will exist in the very near future.
It will make RSS an integral element of its new operating system which has the code-name Longhorn. It will firmly place RSS into the heart of your computing experience, enriching and enhancing it in more ways than even Microsoft is probably aware of yet!
But it's helpful that you do understand for you the future of RSS holds many treats and the full impact won't really be known for years. Under the Creative Commons license,RSS applications could have a far reaching impact on your computing world of the future.
The potential of RSS is enormous. It may even pave the way for a 'Billion Channel Internet' -- where each web site is its own little broadcasting system. An interactive channel that broadcasts audio and video to all interested subscribers.
Does DOS mean anything to you? If you're like 95% ofcomputer users -- probably not much. But that doesn't stop us from enjoying our computers and fully benefitingfrom DOS. Sometimes complete ignorance is bless.
Unless you're a techie and such technical stuff makes your heart skip a beat, knowledge of such material is not really required by the end-user. Fortunately, people don't have to understand 'HTML' to enjoy the Internet.
Ordinary Bloggers have preached the benefits of RSS for solong; the mantra was becoming a tiresome echo across theweb. No one seemed to be taking RSS seriously.
What's really important about Microsoft's plans (I believe)is the fact that this now makes RSS legit. Lets face it,outside of blogging and a few alert online marketers, RSS isstill not understood by most people.
This takes RSS out of just browsers and RSS readers (called aggregators); and giving it much more powerful applications. Most interesting is a new set of applications -- Simple List Extensions -- allowing web sites to publish feeds containing lists such as a wish list or top 10 list. Should make David Letterman happy!
Not Really!
In that light, it can't be understated that Microsoft's incorporation of RSS into Windows is one of those true 'turning points' that has to be acknowledged. It does change how computers and the Internet will work.
Likewise, knowledge of RSS is not important to theordinary computer or Internet user. Microsoft'sRSS Longhorn puts RSS where it rightfully belongs, in the background, invisible...seamlessly integrated into your computing and web browsing experience.
For RSS changes HOW information is transmitted on the web...from a passive role to a more pro-active one.Don't come to us -- we will deliver.
This is a great step forward in making RSS an integrated andseamless component of computers and the Internet.
Previous article: 06 January 2007
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