The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

Long live RSS! (Interview)

Jul 29, 2022

Ben Ubois, creator of Feedbin and podcast app Airshow, discusses the enduring relevance of RSS and its foundational role in the indie web. He shares insights on the evolution of RSS, tracing its challenges and innovations. The conversation dives into the Podcast 2.0 specification and the role of thoughtful content curation. Ben also reveals details about Airshow's seamless user experience. With a focus on revitalizing RSS as a decentralized social networking tool, Ubois underlines its potential for enhanced user privacy and engagement.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

RSS's Social Network Struggle

RSS, while powerful, struggles as a social network due to its decentralized nature.
It lacks discovery mechanisms and engagement features common in social media.

INSIGHT

The Power of Personal Recommendations

Effective content discovery often comes from personal recommendations.
RSS could leverage existing social networks to improve content discovery.

INSIGHT

Podcasting 2.0's Innovation

RSS has remained largely unchanged for years.
The podcasting community is driving innovation with Podcasting 2.0.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

This week we’re joined again by Ben Ubois and we’re talking about RSS. Yes, RSS…the tech that never seems to die and yet so many of us rely on it daily. Ben is the creator of Feedbin, which is self-described as “a nice place to read on the web.” Ben is also the maker of a new app on iOS for people who like podcasts. It’s called Airshow and you can download it at airshow.fm. Ben catches us up on the state of Feedbin, we discuss the nine lives of RSS and its foundational utility for the indie web, the possibilities and short-comings of RSS, we get deep in the weeds on the Podcast 2.0 spec and the work being done on <podcast:chapters>, and Ben also shares the details on his new app called Airshow.

Join the discussion

Changelog++ members get a bonus 20 minutes at the end of this episode and zero ads. Join today!

Sponsors:

Square – Develop on the platform that sellers trust. There is a massive opportunity for developers to support Square sellers by building apps for today’s business needs. Learn more at changelog.com/square to dive into the docs, APIs, SDKs and to create your Square Developer account — tell them Changelog sent you.
Sourcegraph – Transform your code into a queryable database to create customizable visual dashboards in seconds. Sourcegraph recently launched Code Insights — now you can track what really matters to you and your team in your codebase. See how other teams are using this awesome feature at about.sourcegraph.com/code-insights
Retool – The low-code platform for developers to build internal tools — Some of the best teams out there trust Retool…Brex, Coinbase, Plaid, Doordash, LegalGenius, Amazon, Allbirds, Peloton, and so many more – the developers at these teams trust Retool as the platform to build their internal tools. Try it free at retool.com/changelog
MongoDB – An integrated suite of cloud database and services — They have a FREE forever tier, so you can prove to yourself and to your team that they have everything you need. Check it out today at mongodb.com/changelog

Featuring:

Ben Ubois – Website, GitHub, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!