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AI Search RSS Subscription History#

The answer references iFlytek Spark iFlytek Spark Large Model - AI Large Language Model - Spark Large Model - iFlytek and Monica's History of RSS Subscriptions - Monica AI Chat, ultimately choosing Baidu AI.
None of them are comprehensive.

RSS#

RSS subscriptions began to feel popular around 2003 in China, coinciding with the rise of blogs. Previously, people mostly browsed portal websites and forums (back in the black-and-white screen days, those who frequented forums were not ordinary people).
When the Chinese online novel "First Intimate Contact" became popular, many people started to engage with the internet, and many internet café names included terms like "Online Romance" and "Deep Affection for the Internet."
Later, various portals began developing subscription programs and plugins, and browsers like Firefox, Maxthon, and Opera displayed RSS icons on Sina, which felt quite trendy at the time. The RSS logo came in various designs.
Blogs broke the expert review model, dismantling monopolies, allowing individuals to choose whose writings to read and whether to publish their own. Forums or blogs in China still had some level of review.
Google was accessible, and Google China was also present, while Zola protested at headquarters, and blogs began to include live text and images. It seemed that video content was also emerging.
Google Reader was very popular, but it was shut down. There are various opinions on why, but the fundamental reason was the lack of a good commercialization plan and profitability. Later, services like Grabbed Shrimp, Fresh Fruit, and Left Zhi Jian Thumb Reading also allowed RSS subscriptions. There were many mobile apps, but I’ve forgotten most of their names.
Then came self-built RSS subscriptions, with TTRSS being one of the earlier ones, followed by FreshRSS, and now there are many RSS readers available, especially on mobile, where I have tested dozens of them on both iOS and Android.
The requirements for RSS are:

1. No need for a VPN, fast speed,
2. Simplicity,
3. Seamless commenting and messaging within the app. This commenting feature has only been a demand in the past six months. Previously, it was just reading without much interaction.
4. Synchronization of subscription reading status, which is very useful across multiple devices. Many self-built RSS solutions on local machines and plugins are good, but they often lack the ability to sync reading status across devices.

Follow Xlog TTRSS#

Now Follow has emerged, with more social attributes like rewarding subscriptions with digital currency (energy).
Follow feels less effective than Xlog, which utilizes virtual currency applications better. Xlog settings, posting, and commenting require virtual currency for any changes, creating a sense of broadcasting across the network.
With Follow, you can see who viewed your post through Follow, automatically leaving a footprint. This seems neutral.
The messaging system is not very user-friendly; one issue is the Follow network problem. The advantage is that you can see RSS feeds created by FeedBurner and similar services. The downside is that switching to the original page for comments within the software can easily get lost, and there are conflicts with the B shortcut when opening in a browser or new tab. I now prefer using the web version, at least to open a new tab for comments, which feels okay, similar to TTRSS.
TTRSS allows you to see the number of comments directly at the end of an article, and clicking it automatically opens a new tab anchored to the comment section. I think this is not difficult to implement, but the TTRSS author was able to think of such small needs.
For image blogs, TTRSS automatically displays full-screen images without needing to click on each one. This is a benefit.
The downside is that large images consume more bandwidth and are slower than thumbnails.

Thoughts#

Everything has cycles. I remember there’s a book that talks about cycles.
RSS hasn’t disappeared; it has always existed, and it is likely to continue in the future.
Blockchain technology feels like an upgrade to RSS, with RSS broadcasting, pingback citation notifications, and blockchain also broadcasting where everyone keeps a record of changes. Pingback merely informs the citer and the cited, or a small range.
What RSS broke and what blockchain disrupts in terms of monopoly or discourse power is quite similar.
RSSHub subscriptions everything, also breaking the monopoly and closure of various platforms.
From the perspective of monopolistic platforms, are those who use advanced subscription tools and methods like pirates or plunderers?
Information silos have always existed; the difference lies in big data recommendations versus manual filtering. It's hard to say what's good or bad. It’s still best to look and listen more. Listening to both sides makes one wise.