What is RSS?

RSS, sometimes known as Really Simple Syndication, is a popular means of sharing content (such as news headlines) without requiring readers to constantly visit a Web site to see what's new. RSS feeds contain headlines and hyperlinks to longer articles or Web pages.

How do I start using RSS feeds?

Choose a Feed Type

In general, the first thing you need is something called a News Reader (also known as a News Aggregator). They will download and display RSS feeds for you. There are many different versions, some of which are accessed using a browser, and some of which are downloadable applications. All allow you to display and subscribe to the RSS feeds you want.

Once you have chosen a News Reader, all you have to do is to decide what content you want. For example, if you would like the latest titles from Sybex.com simply visit the Sybex.com homepage and you will notice an orange RSS button in the footer.

If you click on the button you can subscribe to the feed in various ways, including by dragging the URL of the RSS feed into your News Reader or by cutting and pasting the same URL into a new feed or channel in your News Reader.

Some browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Netscape 8, Opera and Safari RSS, have functionality which automatically pick up RSS feeds for you. For more details on these, please check their websites.

How do I get a News Reader?

Different News Readers work on different operating systems, so you will need to take this into account when you make your choice.

Many free and commercial news aggregators are available for download.

NEWS READERS

Windows

MAC OS X

Web

Other News Readers (GOOGLE)
Other News Readers (YAHOO)

Can I use these feeds on my site?

We encourage the use of Sybex.com RSS feeds as part of a website, subject to our Terms and Conditions. By using the Sybex.com RSS feeds, which are part of the Sybex.com site, you agree to be bound by the site's Terms of Service. Individuals may use the Sybex.com RSS feeds free of charge for their personal, non-commercial use only. When using the Sybex.com RSS feeds, we ask that you provide attribution to John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sybex.com also reserves the right to disable, to change, or to cease distribution of these Sybex.com RSS feeds at any time, and reserves the right to require individuals to cease any and all use of these feeds at any time for any reason.