RSS, the best way to obtain information in my opinion.

Have you ever had this thought: I can collect all the information I want through a software, without worrying about boring notifications, without relying on luck to see new releases from the bloggers I follow, and without worrying about information overload. So, RSS is the best solution in my opinion. Today, I will 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. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia: RSS (RDF Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a format specification for aggregating content from multiple websites and automatically notifying subscribers. With RSS, website subscribers no longer need to manually check for new content on websites. RSS can also integrate and present content from multiple websites in a summarized form, allowing subscribers to quickly access important information and selectively view it.

Simplified Introduction#

In simple terms, RSS is a way to collect information. It has many advantages, such as allowing you to access 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 RSS feeds?

First Method#

This method is suitable for websites that natively support RSS. Usually, you can find a Wi-Fi icon similar to lying down on supported websites. Clicking on it will redirect 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 RSS feeds. I recommend using the script "rss+" which works very well. Here is the installation link: https://greasyfork.org/zh-CN/scripts/373252-rss-show-site-all-rss (Please install a script manager like Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey 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 (basically, it allows websites that do not support RSS to support RSS, which is really amazing. Here is the link: https://docs.rsshub.app/).

RSS Readers#

Once we have the RSS feed address, we need an excellent RSS reader to read these feeds. 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-quality interface and sufficient functionality. However, 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: A free and open-source RSS reader, but unfortunately, it can be a bit laggy when subscribing to multiple feeds. However, it is still very useful.
Download link: https://f-droid.org/zh_Hans/packages/com.nononsenseapps.feeder/

ReadYou#

Recommendation: A free and open-source RSS reader with a high-quality interface, but not particularly feature-rich. 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 generally similar. You just need to add the corresponding feed sources. Here are examples using ReadYou on Android and Fluent Reader on Windows.

Fluent Reader#

Click the settings button in the upper right corner.
Enter the RSS feed address in the input box for adding feed sources, and click "Add".
If you need to export the feeds for use in other software, you can click "Export OPML file" and then import it into other software. OPML files are almost universally supported by RSS readers.

ReadYou#

Click the plus button in the upper right corner.
Enter the feed source address to search, or import an OPML file.

A Few Words#

Because many websites prevent content from being obtained, many RSS feeds may not display the full content. In this case, you need to enable the function in the software to fetch the full content. The software I shared above all support this function, usually found in the settings or feed source list.

Feed Name: IT Home
Feed Address: https://www.ithome.com/rss/
Feed Content: News about IT and software-related content

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 shares

Feed Name: OSCHINA
Feed Address: https://www.oschina.net/project/rss
Feed Content: Shares a lot of free and open-source content

Feed Name: Appinn
Feed Address: https://www.appinn.com/feed/
Feed Content: Shares many high-quality software
...

Conclusion#

RSS has become the most commonly used source of information for me, especially after using rsshub. Almost all commonly used sources can be obtained using RSS. 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!