Winer Lambastes Apple's RSS Approach

Apple's iTunes 4.9 includes the first edition of a long-anticipated XML document type definition (DTD) for RSS 2.0, that will enable access to podcasts.

Apple aims to build podcast support directly into both the software and iPod, but leaders in the RSS community, including the standard's own creator, are taking Apple to task for developing an ill-advised DTD without seeking input and guidance from the community, Tom's Hardware informs.

The "media RSS" implementations would enable podcasts to be categorized by any syndication service, the way existing RSS tags today enable text pages.

Last February, Yahoo released an updated media RSS specification that, while receiving minor critiques, has been generally embraced for its openness and adaptability.

But last Tuesday, responding to Apple's iTunes 4.9 release on one of his many blogs, Dave Winer, the creator of the original RSS standard and its most vocal supporter, chastised Apple for explicitly using the name of its technology, "itunes," within the DTD namespace. With this and other measures that appear, at least on the surface, to be part of an unsupported effort to make the iTunes DTD proprietary, and a podcast's inclusion in the iTunes catalog exclusive to Apple.

Suddenly, the company indirectly responsible for naming one of today's hottest technologies, is being chastised not only for being slow to adopt, but also appearing to hide an ulterior motive.

"Apple has made a number of mistakes that show that they don't truly understand a) how XML works, b) how RSS works, and c) how the RSS community and community process works. Now, this is not the first time that Apple is using a standard to extend its own agenda. However, considering the level of support that RSS has been getting from other vendors--most recently, Microsoft--it is surprising to see that Apple would want to corner itself into its own small space.", Tristan Louis, one of RSS' earliest proponents and editor of TNL.net, said.