Microsoft has just announced the specification for RSS 2.0, and according to the company, the new version is called SSE (Simple Sharing Extensions). This new RSS specification is provided for free under a Creative Commons license.
This new version allows other users to modify, add, and create new specifications based on SSE in accordance with the copyright license, even for commercial purposes.
RSS is attractive and popular due to its ability to provide information simply. In fact, RSS is fundamentally about delivering one-way news. However, to address the complexities of information sharing, we need to provide and synchronize information in a two-way or even multi-directional manner. Therefore, using RSS for synchronization purposes is no longer optional.Microsoft’s trend is to combine RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) to utilize the inherent capabilities of RSS while maintaining its “extremely simple” nature, allowing it to work effectively in information delivery environments on the web. Combining these two ideas promises to bring numerous benefits to users.
SSE allows for the replication of any independent data, from work schedules and partner lists to favorite directory lists. These sources can all be published as RSS feeds. Furthermore, another notable feature of SSE is the ability to copy data to any application that has integrated SSE quickly and easily. For instance, SSE can be used to share work schedules with colleagues. If your work schedule is published according to SSE, when you change your schedule, your colleague’s schedule will also be updated accordingly and vice versa. As a result, colleagues can view your work plan and set new appointments without affecting their own schedules…
The idea behind SSE is to enable multi-directional data synchronization across various applications. It is important to note that Microsoft has only released the SSE specification; currently, there are no products from Microsoft or other companies implementing this technology. However, some companies are promising to roll out new applications based on SSE.
SSE represents a significant advancement for RSS. The ability to provide multi-directional information feeds and synchronize data between different applications truly marks a revolution. Who says Microsoft isn’t innovative? Who believes Microsoft does not contribute to the open-source community? That would be a major misconception.
Details about SSE can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/rss/sse/. If you want to learn more about RSS 2.0, visit: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss, and for the OPML specification, check: http://www.opml.org/spec.
Minh Phuc
