Re: [syndication] Re: Thoughts, questions, and issues.

[Jonathan Eisenzopf <eisen@pobox.com>]

Aaron Swartz wrote:
> 
> zac <zac@pixelgeek.com> wrote:
> 
> > So I guess it depends on what you want to build. A format for specialist use
> > or a format for broad usage.
> 
> It's true, and I maintain that the new spec is for more technical usage than
> the older one. For real heavy-duty use, it will require some understanding
> of XML and RDF. The benefit from this is more power, but at the expense of
> some clarity and simplicity. I see RSS as moving away from a simple XML
> language for the people, and more towards a communication system for content
> management systems and other scripting environments. It may not be the
> choice you believe in, but it's a choice that the authors are making. There
> will always be other formats if you don't agree.
> 
Aaron, I disagree in part. We tried to strike the right balance
between ease of use and extensibility. It's normal that people
will have issues; some are wining, some are constructive. When
people say that RSS 1.0 is hard, my question is: compared to
what? In my opinion, it's no harder than RSS 0.9 or RSS 0.91,
only a bit different. Also, compared to most, if not all other
XML formats, it's sorta ridiculous to say the RSS 1.0 is
"difficult". 

Nevertheless, what we want to do is craft a spec that meets as
many needs as possible. If people are having problems with the
spec, let's address the issues and find a solution. We are
dedicated to working with the community to get this thing to a
place where people are comfortable with it, because that's why we
did it and who we did it for.

I believe that the spec document may have put off some non
technical people. We are working to get materials for writers and
programmers since their needs are different. We wanted to make
sure there were enough technical details for programmers to
develop tools for writers. The next step is to provide materials
for writers.

-- 
Jonathan Eisenzopf    |  http://motherofperl.com    
eisen@pobox.com       |  http://perlxml.com
Perl Hacker           |  http://dc.pm.org