2005Offiste/RSS Integration

Ben's architectural diagram

.---.          .----------------.
|.))| -------> | Live Bookmarks |
'---'          '----------------'

                      .---------.
.--------.            |Protocol |      .----------.
| feed : | ---------> |Handling |      | Internal |      pretty printing?
'--------'            '---------'     /| Handlers | ---> web services?
                           |         / |          |      preview?
.---------------.          V        /  '----------'
| Content Types |     .---------.  /   .----.
| app/rss+xml   | --> |   UCT   |--    |    |
| app/atom+xml  |     | System  |  \---| OS | ---> system registered reader
'---------------'     |         |      |    |
                      '---------'      '----'

UCT stands for "Unknown Content Type", where we currently have an "open/save/cancel" dialog.

See: File Handling for a generic view of this.

Discussion

• beng, chofmann: RSS is just another type of web content, and we should try to provide a transient experience where we display that content in the most appropriate fashion

• beltzner: two primary use cases: 1) mail-like, where each post should be tracked, marked read/unread, archived, searchable, and 2) headline-scanning like where recency is key and posts can be missed; usually for feeds with higher volume of updates
  • less common third path is the "innovative use of RSS in applications" path like podcasting

• beltzner: "Live Bookmark" can be extended to any webpage which has been changed; could mean "watch this page for updates"

• beng: part of this requires us to have a better UCT system UI which provides a better user experience for dealing with a file of unknown content type
  • uses OS hooks and a WSDL service to detect and suggest handlers
  • this UI and the UI for registered content type handers needs to be revisited and revised, most likely

• beng: better integration with the places work might solve some of these problems, too, as it will allow for easier searching, archiving, marking read/unread, etc.
  • dveditz: could be also used to show the last visited date

• what about future uses of the RSS/Atom formats (ie: podcasting) that we can't predict?

• sgarrity: right now Firefox offers no support for grabbing the RSS feed off a page and handing it off to my feed reading application
  • beng: I think ultimately that needs to go through the protocol handlers of UCT system (see diagram above); we can also leverage some of the RSS detection code that we backed out
  • sgarrity: Safari currently obeys the system registered RSS reader, even in the "RSS" button
  • beltzner: the danger there is that it doesn't allow for someone to create a LiveBookmark
  • beng: right now in prefs we show an elaborate dialog that illustrates registered content handlers, this is where I'd suggest we do that. The [x] Always Use this handler button might be a solution here. Or alternatively to have an "Open With ..." metaphor.
    • a lot of fallout discussion about the advantage of the "Open With.." metaphor for mailto: links, rss files, any sort of file (MP3, etc)

• using places we'll be able to keep a local store of the Live Bookmarks.

• beng: we could even collect the feeds that you come across in a browsing session and store them using the annotations service so that they can be found later through some form of search