OLR: Exercise 2 – Topic 8

RSS

RSS is as described by Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format))  “RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a “feed,” “web feed,” or “channel,” contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text.”

Aggregation is described as by wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregator)   “In computing, a feed aggregator, also known as a feed reader or simply as an aggregator, is client software or a Web application which aggregates syndicated web content such as news headlines, blogs, podcasts, and vlogs in a single location for easy viewing. ” This allows feeds to be brought in from various sites into one central location for people to read.

Syndication is “Web syndication is a form of syndication in which a section of a website is made available for other sites to use.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_syndication)

These technologies have allowed for the increase distribution of information both to users and between websites. This sharing of information gives realtime news and information to users. RSS feeds are becoming alot more commonly used and useful then mailing lists as they allow users to feed live data straight to their website or RSS reader.

AJAX

The Ajax patterns website is a repository of all types of AJAX related tools, these include frameworks, libraries etc. One thing of interest to note is that this site uses Wiki software to drive the site.

Perhaps one of the best descriptions that I have found as to what AJAX is for the layperson is this “Ajax is just a style of design, one that milks all the features of modern browsers to produce something that feels less web and more desktop.” (http://ajaxpatterns.org/Whats_Ajax)

The Ajax patterns website seems to be community driven with the users contributing to the library.