Have you ever had the thought that you can collect all the information you want through a software without worrying about boring notifications, relying on luck to see new content from your favorite bloggers, or being trapped in an information bubble? Well, RSS is the best solution in my opinion. So today, let's talk about how I use RSS to get the information I want. I hope it can be helpful to you~
What is RSS?#
Detailed Introduction#
First, let me introduce RSS as usual. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia: RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication), also known as Simple Information Aggregation or Aggregated Content, is a format specification for news sources. It is used to aggregate content updates from multiple websites and automatically notify website subscribers. With RSS, website subscribers no longer need to manually check if a website has new content. RSS can also integrate content updates from multiple websites and present them in summary form, helping subscribers quickly obtain important information and selectively view it.
Simplified Introduction#
In plain language, RSS is a way to collect information. It has many advantages, such as allowing you to obtain the information you need without downloading or visiting the corresponding websites, and without ads, etc.
How to Obtain RSS Feeds#
Since RSS has so many excellent features, how can we obtain it?
First Method#
This method is suitable for websites that natively support RSS. Generally, you can find a Wi-Fi icon similar to lying down, like . Clicking on it will take you to the subscription address, which you can copy.
Second Method#
For websites that do not natively support RSS, you will need a script to search for it. I recommend using the rss+ script, which works very well. Here is the installation link: https://greasyfork.org/zh-CN/scripts/373252-rss-show-site-all-rss (Please install Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey script manager before installing). RSS+ can not only obtain native RSS feeds, but also use the rsshub method to obtain feeds. I won't go into too much detail about rsshub here, but you can search for it on Bilibili if you're interested (in short, it allows websites that do not natively support RSS to support RSS, which is super cool. Here is its address: https://docs.rsshub.app/).
RSS Readers#
Once we have the RSS feeds, we need an excellent reader to read them. Since I mainly use Windows and Android, I will only share RSS readers for Windows and Android. Since I don't need to frequently add RSS feeds, I prefer to use localized RSS readers.
Windows#
Fluent Reader#
- Recommendation: A free and open-source RSS reader with a high appearance level and sufficient functionality. Unfortunately, it seems to have stopped updating, which is a bit of a pity, but it is still fully functional.
- Download link: https://hyliu.me/fluent-reader/
Android#
Feeder#
- Recommendation: Free and open-source, but unfortunately a bit laggy when subscribing to multiple feeds. Still, it works very well.
- Download link: https://f-droid.org/zh_Hans/packages/com.nononsenseapps.feeder/
Readyou#
- Recommendation: Free and open-source, with a high appearance level, but not particularly rich in functionality. Currently, there is a small bug with overlapping titles.
- Download link: https://f-droid.org/zh_Hans/packages/me.ash.reader/
How to Use RSS Readers#
The usage of RSS readers is basically the same. You just need to add the corresponding feeds. Here, I will use Readyou for Android and Fluent Reader for Windows as examples.
Fluent Reader#
- Click the settings button in the upper right corner.
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Enter the RSS feed address in the input box for adding feeds, and click Add.
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If you need to export the feeds for use elsewhere, you can click Export OPML file and then import it into other software. OPML files are almost universally supported by all RSS readers.
Readyou#
- Click the plus button in the upper right corner.
- Enter the feed address to search, or import an OPML file.
A Side Note#
Because many websites prevent content from being obtained, many RSS feeds may not be displayed in full. In this case, you need to enable the function of fetching the full text in the software. The software I shared above all support this function, usually in the settings or feed list.
Sharing Some of My Most Used RSS Feeds#
Feed Name: IT Home
Feed Address: https://www.ithome.com/rss/
Feed Content: News about IT and software-related content
Feed Name: Appinn
Feed Address: https://www.appinn.com/feed/
Feed Content: Share a lot of high-quality software
Feed Name: Sspai
Feed Address: https://sspai.com/feed
Feed Content: Various articles, many of which are about technology
Feed Name: iPlaySoft
Feed Address: https://feed.iplaysoft.com/
Feed Content: Various software sharing
Feed Name: OSCHINA
Feed Address: https://www.oschina.net/project/rss
Feed Content: Share a lot of free and open-source content
...
Conclusion#
RSS has become the most commonly used source of information for me. Especially after having rsshub, I can use RSS to obtain almost all commonly used sources. So for those who want to aggregate information sources, RSS is really worth a try! I sincerely thank the developers of RSS, rsshub, and rss+! Salute to you all!