http://abcnews.go.com/sections/SciTech/FutureTech/RSSWeb031029-1.html
One sign that the technology known as RSS has reached the mainstream is that the acronym is given different interpretations [Rich Site Summary, Really Simple Syndication]. This article explains the basics of RSS and what problems still remain. For my 2 cents, the fact that you have to install the .NET framework before being able to make an on-desk aggregator work is the main stumbling block.
If I can't do it in 5 minutes, it won't get done -- this is my latest computing mantra, and RSS still has to succeed on that account. But if your life involves tapping into news/information services and making sense of them, an agregator is an essential tool. One could concieve of an organization which aggregated at different levels, a form of meta-aggregation, so to speak, which might help people see the InterNet forest in that profusion of trees.
Posted by jho at November 6, 2003 08:38 AM