Blogging Roller: RSSLibJ in Roller?

RSSLibJ in Roller?

I've been watching RSSLibJ for a while and wondering whether we should use it here in Roller. RSSLibJ is a Java class library that allows one to create RSS output in a variety of formats including RSS 0.9X, 2.0, and RDF from a single object model (RSSLibJ is not suitable for RSS parsing because it does not handle badly formed feeds). So, does it make sense to use RSSLibJ for RSS output in Roller? I'm pretty sure the answer is no because:

Why bother? All RSS aggregators worth consideration already support RSS 2.0, adding support for RSS 0.91, RSS 0.92, RSS 1.0, and RDF does not really add any value to Roller.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Roller already supports RSS 2.0 output using a simple Velocity template that duplicates Mark Pilgrim's RSS 2.0 MT template (you can't get more perfect than the Pilgrim ;-).

Templates are easier to maintain. If we have a output format problem with RSSLibJ, we'll need to grok the RSSLibJ Java code, tweak RSSLibJ, recompile the jar, and if we want to do things "right" we'll need to submit a patch to the RSSLibJ folks. If we have a format problem with our current solution, we just tweak a simple Velocity template and fix it (worst case: we also have to modify our object model).

What about performance? More than half the traffic on a big Roller site (e.g. FreeRoller) is RSS traffic, so RSS production needs to be pretty efficient. With support for If-Modified-Since and RSS output caching, this is less of an issue, but it is still an issue. Converting our existing object model of WeblogEntries, WeblogCategories, Comments, etc. into a separate RSSLibJ object model before output can commence seems like a pretty inefficient exercize in terms of memory usage and speed.

If you want to tell me how wrong-headed I am on any of these points, I welcome your comments and trackbacks.

Dave Johnson in Roller • 🕒 06:01AM May 11, 2003

Tags: Roller

Comments:

Dave, I think you are there with Roller and RSS 2.0 so that make a +1 to staut quo. But, what is with you trackback URL? Brian

Posted by Brian Blakeley on May 11, 2003 at 03:20 PM EDT #

Dave, thanks for the mention and consideration. I agree with you, though: RSSLibJ was meant to be a useful tool among many (in particular, a tool that helped *me* generate what I needed), not the only tool around. I agree with you: I'd say "no," considering what your needs are. I use RSSLibJ constantly, under load, and it works fairly well, but it's not meant to scale way up; it's meant to provide a basis for scaling up. (And it does, if the user knows what he's about.) If you don't need it, by all means: don't use it! -- and it seems like you don't need it.

Posted by Joseph B. Ottinger on May 12, 2003 at 11:18 AM EDT #

I completely agree with "If it ain't broken, don't fix it"...... RSSLibJ came out of a need more than anything. It suits my needs, just abouts, the next development step for me personally is weaving Friend-of-a-Friend info into a feed. :) Some projects never stop evolving. Regards Jase Bell

Posted by Jason Bell on May 12, 2003 at 12:20 PM EDT #

Dave, You're only going to generate an RSS feed once and then cache it aggressively (I hope). The benefit RSSLibJ gives you is 1) you don't have to worry about the code. if there's bug you can just complain to Jason Bell and he's a push over :) He'll do whatever you ask him to. 2) As RSS evolves you don't have to play keep up. Particularly now, that it looks like RSS is going to get a lot more sophisticated with a RSS:Core Profile and RSS:Weblog profile. 3) The Holy Trinity: Reuse, Open Source, Innovation. When you use RSSLibJ you effectively get highly talented slave labor. As the developers of RSSLibJ innovate and add new features etc. you'll get all this additional functionality for free. 'nuff said. I say go for it :) That being said,

Posted by Bo on May 12, 2003 at 02:13 PM EDT #