RSS - HISTORY

1. Early Origins (1995 – 1998)

• In the mid-1990s, the concept of web syndication began.

• Netscape was one of the first companies to explore content syndication.

• In 1997, Netscape introduced RSS 0.90 (originally called RDF Site Summary) for its My Netscape portal.

• It allowed websites to provide headlines and links to users.

2. RSS 0.91 (1999) – Simplification

• In 1999, Dan Libby from Netscape released RSS 0.91.

• The format became simpler and more user-friendly by dropping RDF complexity.

• Dave Winer, a software developer, also created his own version of RSS 0.91 for his platform UserLand Frontier.

• This started the split between Netscape’s RSS and Winer’s RSS.

3. RSS 1.0 (2000) – RDF-Based Standard

• In 2000, a group called the RSS-DEV Working Group developed RSS 1.0.

• It was based on RDF (Resource Description Framework) to make feeds more extensible.

• However, this version was complex, which caused debates among developers.

4. RSS 2.0 (2002) – “Really Simple Syndication”

• In 2002, Dave Winer released RSS 2.0 under the term Really Simple Syndication.

• RSS 2.0 was simpler, backward-compatible, and widely adopted.

• It introduced new features:

  • Enclosures (used later for podcasts)

  • Better metadata support

  • Improved flexibility

5. Rise of Podcasting (2004 – 2005)

• In 2004, Adam Curry and Dave Winer used RSS 2.0 enclosures to deliver audio files.

• This innovation paved the way for podcasting.

• By 2005, Apple iTunes officially integrated podcast support using RSS, boosting popularity.

6. Atom vs. RSS Feud (2003 – 2005)

• Some developers felt RSS was too limited, so Google and the IETF introduced the Atom format in 2003.

• Atom was standardized in 2005 as RFC 4287.

• Since then, both RSS and Atom coexist, and most feed readers support both formats.

7. Mainstream Popularity (2005 – 2010)

• During this period, RSS became very popular:

  • News sites, blogs, podcasts, and forums adopted it.

  • Web browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer had built-in RSS support.

  • Platforms like Google Reader made RSS feeds easier to consume.

8. Decline of RSS Popularity (2011 – Present)

• In 2013, Google Reader was discontinued, leading to a significant decline in RSS usage.

• Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram became the primary source of content updates.

• However, RSS did not die:

  • It remains essential for podcasts.

  • It’s widely used for news aggregation, research, and automation.

  • Tools like Feedly, Inoreader, and Flipboard keep RSS alive.

9. Current Status of RSS (2025)

• RSS is less mainstream but still highly valuable:

  • Powers podcasts, news aggregators, automation tools, and content syndication.

  • Many modern apps integrate RSS behind the scenes, even if users aren’t aware.

Timeline of RSS Evolution