| Title: | Content Syndication with RSS |
| Authors: | Ben Hammersley |
| Publisher: | O'Reilly |
| Pages: | 193 pages |
| Reviewer: | Shawn C. Carroll |
| Synopsis: | This is a detail rich reference off RSS. Included are full descriptions of v 0.9x, 1.0, and 2.0 specifications and details on the creation of, subscription to, and publication of RSS feeds. |
| Table of Contents | 1. Introduction 2. Content-Syndication Architecture 3. The Main Standards 4. RSS 0.91, 0.92, and 2.0 (Really Simple Syndication) 5. Richer Metadata and RDF 6. RSS 1.0 (RDF Site Summary) 7. RSS 1.0 Modules 8. RSS 2.0 (Simply Extensible) 9. Using Feeds 10. Directories, Web Aggregators, and Desktop Readers 11. Developing New Modules 12. Publish and Subscribe A. The XML You Need for RSS B. Useful Sites and Software. Index. |
Many of us have seen or used RSS by now. If you're not familiar with RSS, it is an XML based format that developers use to describe and syndicate content. The helpful slash-boxes on slashdot.org, the overview pane of Evolution, and many other websites and applications all use RSS to deliver information to the user. Content Syndication with RSS (RSS) gives the reader the knowledge to create and use RSS to the fullest.
Let me start by saying that this book is not a how-to book. It is a reference book in the veins of a man page. RSS is described completely, but the text leaves the subject out of context. RSS is a book about a type of technology, not an application or language. At US$29.95, this puts RSS at the same price as my copy of Mastering Regular Expressions (1st ed.)(Mastering). Mastering has more explanation of what is being discussed while RSS just throws data at the reader.
The first two chapters explain the history of RSS and gives an overview of the technology as it stands today. The next 100 pages are the chapters pertaining to each RSS version, it's extensions, and options. This sort of publication works well for web pages, however a book should present the data with more detail and explanation.
The remainder of the book is about the publication and uses of RSS feeds. This is the most useful part of the book. It goes the through the process of taking data and transforming it to proper RSS, extending RSS to fit your needs, and publishing and subscribing to RSS data.
The appendicies are useful, but there should have been more of them. Data, ie API references and error code tables, should have been pulled out of the main text.
All said, this book is for those that want a dead-tree reference for all things RSS. There is little to learn from this book that can't be found on the web.