FAQs for RSS Feeds
What is an RSS feed?
RSS is an XML format used primarily by news sites and weblog publishers for syndicating their content. RSS feeds are meant to be picked up by other sites or applications called RSS aggregators so that content can be republished elsewhere. Typically, an item in an RSS feed will only contain a title, excerpt or description, and link back to the original content. For more information, see "What is RSS" on XML.com.
What is an RSS aggregator?
RSS aggregators are services or applications which aggregate, or collect, RSS feeds, then typically republish them. Some aggregators are web-based, like the Adobe XML News Aggregator (MXNA) and Fullasagoog, which means you can read aggregated news in your web browser, and some are applications which run on your desktop. For instance, there is an OS X application called NetNewsWire which allows users to keep up with hundreds of different news sources from all over the Internet in a single application right on my desktop.
Where can I get an RSS aggregator?
For Windows, many people like FeedDemon by Bradbury Software, and for OS X, NetNewsWire by Ranchero Software is probably the most popular. There are many alternatives out there, both free and commercial, which you can find using any search engine. Adobe does not endorse any particular solution, so try a few out and see which one you like best. You can also u se Adobe Acrobat X as an RSS newsreader.
If you have Adobe Acrobat® X, you can use it to view RSS feeds: In Acrobat, choose Comments > Tracker, and then choose Services > Subscribe in the Tracker window. In the next dialog box, enter the URL to an RSS feed, and click OK.
What are the Adobe Product RSS Feeds?
The Adobe Product RSS Feeds are RSS feeds that Adobe publishes to help support our customers. They contain important product information that customers need to know in order to stay current with Adobe software. All the information contained in these feeds is technical in nature, and is never marketing related. What information is contained in the Adobe Product RSS Feeds? TechNote notifications, security bulletins, information about product updates, and relevant Developer Center and Design Center content is all included. These feeds never contain marketing information or product offers.
When are the feeds updated?
We update the Adobe Product RSS Feeds as soon as new relevant information is posted to our website. The feeds are never updated before the website since each item in the feeds contains a link back to the Adobe website for more information. Typically, the Adobe Product RSS Feeds are updated within just a few minutes of the website.
How often are the feeds updated?
It varies by product, and also tends to depend on product cycles. Sometimes feeds may be updated several times a week, and other times, there may be no news to report for several weeks. That's one reason why using an RSS aggregator to monitor the Adobe Product RSS Feeds makes so much sense: you can let the news come to you rather than having to constantly check for new information yourself.
Who can use the Adobe Product RSS Feeds?
Anyone! They are free, and can be monitored by anyone with an RSS aggregator and an interest in Adobe technology.
Why do some of the RSS URLs redirect to different URLs? Which URLs should I point my aggregator to?
Some of t he Adobe Product RSS Feed URLs listed on the main Adobe RSS support page are not the actual URLs to the feeds, but are known as "redirects" which means your RSS aggregator will be redirected to another URL where the feeds actually reside. We use redirects so that we can change the actual physical location of the feeds if we need to without breaking anyone's aggregator. It's important that you use the redirect URLs above if your aggregator supports them (almost all do) rather than the URLs that they redirect to so that you don't have to worry about updating the feed URLs if we need to move them to a different server.
What do I do if my aggregator doesn't support redirects?
There are very few aggregators that don't support redirects, and lack of support for redirects should be considered a bug in your aggregator. If you use the feed URLs listed on the main Adobe RSS support page and find that your aggregator does not follow the redirect, you can either switch to a different aggregator that does support redirects, or you can use the actual feed URL that the redirect points to. To find the actual URL that a redirect points to, copy and paste the redirect URL into your browser's location bar, and press enter. The URL in the location bar will change to the actual URL of the feed which you can then copy and paste into your aggregator. Note that by using the actual feed URLs rather than the redirects, you may need to update the feed URLs at some point in the future.
Why don't you support Atom?
Atom is an XML syndication format similar to RSS which is still in the process of being developed. RSS is currently more widely supported than Atom, so in order to be able to reach as many customers as possible, we currently only support RSS.
Are all of the Adobe Product RSS Feeds available in a single OPML file?
No, only former Macromedia Product RSS Feeds are available in a single OPML file at the following URL:
* http://www.macromedia.com/go/rss_opml
You can automatically add all of the former Macromedia Product RSS Feeds to most aggregators by importing this file. It may be easier for you to use the OPML file to add all the product feeds, then remove the ones you are not interested in as opposed to adding each of the individual feeds you are interested in.
Where can I find additional Adobe-related RSS feeds?
Adobe publishes RSS feeds containing information on the most recent additions to products and site sections. Visit the main RSS support page for a full list.
Additionally, many Adobe employees maintain weblogs providing their own unique insights into Adobe, Adobe products, and technology in general. All Adobe weblogs have corresponding RSS feeds that can be used to aggregate and monitor this content. You can find links to these weblogs on blogs.adobe.com and on MXNA.
Who should I contact with questions or problems with the Adobe Product RSS Feeds?
Feel free to send all comments and questions to rssnotifications@macromedia.com.
