RSS Glossary
This section provides a brief glossary of some important terms used in the FeedForAll Mac software.
Aggregator
Atom
Blog
DTD URL
Feed
Feed Filename
Feed Path
Feed Validator
JavaScript
OPML
RDF
RSS
RSS Reader
Scheme
Syndicate
Weblog
XML
XML Namespace
- Aggregator
- An aggregator is a program that collects news from various websites and provides it to you in a simple form. Two main types of aggregators: web-based aggregators and desktop/software aggregators. Web-based aggregators allow individuals to subscribe to feeds online and read feeds in a web browser. Desktop aggregators are software programs installed locally that updates when feeds are updated. The aggregator shows new information and allow for users to read feeds.
- Atom
- Atom is an XML-based document format and HTTP-based protocol designed for the syndication of Web content such as weblogs and news headlines. Although Atom is not the same as RSS, it has similar functions. FeedForAll Mac will convert Atom feeds to RSS v2 feeds.
- Blog
- Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site.
- DTD URL
- A Document Type Definition (DTD for short) is a set of declarations that conform to a particular markup syntax and that describe a class, or "type", of SGML or XML documents, in terms of constraints on the structure of those documents.
- Feed
- An xml file containing headlines and descriptions also called news feed, content feed, xml feed or web feed.
- Feed Filename
- This is the name of your feed's file. Typically RSS files end with the .xml extension.
- Feed Path
- This is the path on the FTP server in relation to the folder you are placed into, by default, when you log onto the FTP server. This is not a URL (i.e. not http://www.myserver.com/).
- Feed Validator
- Tests the formatting of feeds to ensure that they are correctly formed.
- JavaScript
- A prototype-based scripting language with a syntax loosely based on C.
- OPML
- OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is an XML-based format that allows exchange of outline-structured information between applications running on different operating systems and environments.
- RDF
- Resource Description Framework is a family of specifications for a metadata model that is often implemented as an application of XML. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) maintains the RDF family of specifications.
- RSS
- Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; a group of XML based web-content distribution and republication (Web syndication) formats primarily used by news sites and weblogs (blogs).
- RSS Reader
- RSS and Atom files provide news updates from a website in a simple form for your computer. You read these files in a program called an aggregator, which collects news from various websites and provides it to you in a simple form.
- Scheme
- The beginning part of a URL usually "http", "https", or "ftp", to name a few. The URLs used in FeedForAll must include "http://" or the appropriate scheme for the website.
- Syndicate
- To supply information or content for simultaneous publications in several periodicals or web sites.
- Weblog
- A Weblog is a web application, which contains periodic time-stamped posts on a common webpage (also referred to as a blog).
- XML
- eXtensible Markup Language; recommended general-purpose markup language for creating special-purpose markup languages. It is a simplified subset of SGML, capable of describing many different kinds of data. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the sharing of structured text and information across the Internet. XML has been used for a large number of applications, including notably XHTML, RSS, XML-RPC and SOAP.
- XML Namespace
- XML Namespaces provide a simple method for qualifying element and attribute names used in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) documents by associating them with namespaces identified by URI references.