Running into the non-spec
Scoble runs into the lack of an OPML spec:
I kept trying to open my OPML file in the OPML Editor and it wouldn’t open. I had a few complaints about that as well. I tried both the OPML file that NewsGator exported as well as the one that Bloglines exported. Newsgator’s OPML file wouldn’t even open (gave me an error) but Bloglines opened with blank titles.
I wish everyone would make their files compatible with the OPML editor, though. I’m using that a lot lately.
But it's ok - because Scoble tells us that users are king, and the format (and spec) doesn't matter:
But what Dave did was give me an application. It works. And, as a user, I wonder "if the format is so crappy, how did Dave get it to work in his own application?"
And, as a user, I wonder "why can't the developers just get their OPML to work with Dave's application?"
There's a reason for that, Robert. The *cough* spec *cough* is worthless. Every aggregator developer (myself included) has had to struggle with this since OPML came to be the standard way to exchange subscriptions. If there were an actual spec, you wouldn't see the entertaining differences between tools. So you know what? As a user, you do care.
Comments
OK, the world sucks, now what?
[Robert Scoble] November 27, 2005 18:41:32.094
OK, the world sucks, but now what? There's now a validator. There's an app written by the guy who wrote the spec. It's time to make everything compatible.
An App?
[ James Robertson] November 27, 2005 20:14:48.807
Comment by James Robertson
An App written by the guy who wrote the spec? C'mon, be serious - really :)
The spec simply isn't a spec. Things won't improve until it is a spec.
woohoo!
[Phil Wilson] November 28, 2005 7:51:17.332
Ah ha haha haha ha ha ha! Comedy of this calibre is precious stuff :)
That's a speck, not a spec
[Troy Brumley] November 28, 2005 8:12:25.048
I've heard this OPML needs a real spec stuff for a while, so I went and looked at the spec. It's too loose. Also, why wasn't there a DTD or XML Schema for it from day one? If I was trying to create an XML format that I intended anyone to use, I'd certainly take advantage of XML validation tools to make it easier for me and everyone else to create and use my format.
In defense of the "spec"
[ Troy Brumley] November 28, 2005 9:35:22.613
Comment by Troy Brumley
From the so called spec:
Feeds aren't really an outline, aggregators aren't really outliners, so perhaps this interchange use is unintended? I still stand by my earlier comment that this should have had a DTD or XSL to start with.