Vulture rediscovers RSS to dull the pain of the modern web • The Register

A recent wave of blog posts has reignited interest in RSS (Really Simple Syndication) as a powerful tool for navigating the increasingly cluttered modern web. The resurgence comes at a time when many users are frustrated with the current state of online content consumption, where even with multiple ad-blockers and privacy extensions, websites remain frustratingly bloated with advertisements, cookie warnings, and other distractions.

The catalyst for this renewed attention was Caroline Crampton's blog post titled "The View from RSS," which explored what the web looks like when you subscribe to 2,000 RSS feeds. The subtitle alone - "What the web looks like when you subscribe to 2,000 RSS feeds" - was enough to capture attention, including that of renowned blogger Cory Doctorow, who wrote his own piece called "The web is bearable with RSS."

For those of us who cover the tech sector, the constant stream of announcements about radical new technologies is already overwhelming. Add to that the challenge of researching these stories through modern websites, and the appeal of a simpler, cleaner way to consume content becomes immediately apparent.

A Brief History of RSS

The RSS system traces its origins back to the 1990s. Interestingly, one of its key developers was Aaron Swartz, who co-developed the RSS 1.0 standard at just 14 years old. The technology predates many of today's web standards and represents a different philosophy about how information should be shared online.

By 2007, RSS had gained enough traction that Google introduced Google Reader, an online RSS aggregator that allowed users to pull together all their RSS feeds in one place. Accessible from any computer, it was good enough to largely obliterate many competing RSS syndication tools. However, in a move that still frustrates many users today, Google shut down Reader in 2013. The Register even ran a retrospective a decade later, noting how much the service was missed.

Rediscovering RSS in 2026

For many former RSS users, including this author, the shutdown of Google Reader marked the end of their RSS journey. However, Crampton's article served as a compelling reminder of what was lost. The good news is that RSS readers are still very much alive and have continued to evolve.

For those already using Mozilla's Thunderbird messaging client, RSS functionality is built right in. Thunderbird recently gained native Microsoft Exchange support, but it has offered RSS reading capabilities for years. Configuring feeds from regularly visited sites is straightforward, and if you live in Thunderbird, it's more than adequate for basic RSS consumption.

However, dedicated RSS readers offer more specialized features. For Apple users, NetNewsWire has an excellent reputation, though the current version requires macOS 15, which may be too new for older hardware. Fortunately, the project offers older versions for download, with version 5.04 working well on legacy systems.

On Linux, there are several options. gFeeds, designed for GNOME, offers basic functionality but may feel too simple for power users - for instance, the list of sites you're following is hidden in a pop-up sidebar. The OPML interchange format makes it easy to export, transfer, and import feeds between different readers, typically taking under a minute to move dozens of feeds.

Liferea (short for LInux FEed REAder, pronounced "lie-fer-ee-yah" rather than "life-area") offers more features for Linux users. KDE users have Akregator, which also has a Windows version, while Windows users have various FOSS options available.

The RSS Experience Today

After just a few days of using RSS again, the benefits become immediately apparent. It's much quicker to tab through a list of feeds than to separately open a double-digit number of sites in different tabs, then go through them and open stories in more tabs. The time savings alone make RSS worthwhile for heavy content consumers.

RSS is one application of the nearly 30-year-old Resource Description Framework, and while RSS itself has a successor format called Atom, any modern reader should handle both formats seamlessly. The RSS standard has its own logo - two waves emanating from a dot at bottom left - though some sites no longer advertise their RSS feeds prominently.

If you can't find an RSS feed displayed on a site, searching for one using your preferred search engine usually turns up results. Pretty much every site seems to have an RSS feed, even if it's not immediately obvious. The Register itself offers a list of feeds, and notably, the bold heading saying "The Register" above the list of channels is also a feed address for the site as a whole. Right-clicking any of the headings, picking "copy link," and pasting it into your feed reader of choice gives you access to that content stream.

Why RSS Matters Now

The timing of this RSS renaissance is particularly relevant given the current state of the web. With increasing concerns about "enshittification" - the process by which online platforms gradually degrade their services in pursuit of profit - RSS offers a way to bypass many of these degradations.

The Norwegian Consumer Council has even taken aim at enshittification, recognizing it as a significant problem for users. RSS represents a return to a simpler, more user-controlled way of consuming content, where you decide what to read rather than having an algorithm decide for you.

For this author, returning to RSS feels like bumping into an old friend who we've neglected for a decade. The experience so far has been thoroughly enjoyable, offering a cleaner, faster, and more intentional way to stay informed. In an age where the web often feels overwhelming and hostile to users, RSS provides a refreshing alternative that puts control back in the hands of content consumers.

As we continue to grapple with the challenges of modern web browsing, tools like RSS remind us that sometimes the best solutions aren't the newest ones, but rather the ones that respect user attention and intent. The web may have moved on, but for many of us, RSS is proving that sometimes, the old ways are still the best ways.