The Photocasting feature of Apple's updated iPhoto application violates numerous internet standards, several dignitaries from the RSS community have pointed out.
"The 'photocasting' feature centers around a single undocumented extension element in a namespace that doesn't need to be declared. iPhoto 6 doesn't understand the first thing about HTTP, the first thing about XML, or the first thing about RSS. It ignores features of HTTP that Netscape 4 supported in 1996, and mis-implements features of XML that Microsoft got right in 1997. It ignores 95% of RSS and Atom and gets most of the remaining 5% wrong," stated Mark Pilgrim, a software developer who tested the feature in an effort to document it.
Photocasting allows Mac users to share photos with friends and family members. The feature will automatically upload the photos to a server and publish an RSS-feed. Other users subscribe to those feeds through iPhoto or a feed reader, allowing them to automatically receive updates when new photos are posted.
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs at the unveiling of the application last week claimed that the feature adheres to the RSS standard: "We use industry standard RSS. And so anyone can subscribe. You don't even need a Mac," he told delegates at the MacWorld conference in San Francisco.
But early test showed that the feature fails to work with some feed readers because it deviates from common RSS practices.
"It’s pretty bad. There are lots of errors, the date formats are wrong, there are elements that are not in RSS that aren’t in a namespace," said Dave Winer, who is considered the creator of RSS.
"Assuming [Apple's] intentions are good and they’re not trying to kill RSS, why don’t they put some of us under [a non-disclosure agreement] and let us help them get the bugs out before they ship," he suggested.
Apple strictly speaking isn't doing anything wrong. RSS isn't an official standard that's governed by a standards body. Therefore anybody can make changes and introduce new elements and extensions.
Microsoft for instance plans to introduce several new elements when it starts shipping Internet Explorer 7 later this year, allowing the inclusion of files into a feed. This enables a sports team, for example, to publish an RSS feed with dates for upcoming games that is imported directly into the players' calendars. The Windows screensaver will also be able show photo's that are published by a photo blog. Microsoft's efforts have generally been received as a welcome addition to RSS.
Apple however is introducing new elements that only aim to replace existing ones. The Photocast feature for instance uses a new element to indicate the date on which a photo was taken, even though there are already numerous alternatives that do the exact same thing. iPhoto however won't recognize the standard date elements.
Introducing new elements not only prevents common feed readers from accessing Photocasts, it also makes it harder for third party applications to introduce similar features that interoperate with iPhoto.
The non-standard elements for instance could prevent the Windows screensaver from displaying iPhoto Photocasts. And Google's Picasa photo viewer and editor could easily introduce a photocasting feature, but the use of non-standard elements could prevent a Picasa user from subscribing to an iPhoto feed and the other way around.
A spokesperson for Apple declined to comment.
"The 'photocasting' feature centers around a single undocumented extension element in a namespace that doesn't need to be declared. iPhoto 6 doesn't understand the first thing about HTTP, the first thing about XML, or the first thing about RSS. It ignores features of HTTP that Netscape 4 supported in 1996, and mis-implements features of XML that Microsoft got right in 1997. It ignores 95% of RSS and Atom and gets most of the remaining 5% wrong," stated Mark Pilgrim, a software developer who tested the feature in an effort to document it.
Photocasting allows Mac users to share photos with friends and family members. The feature will automatically upload the photos to a server and publish an RSS-feed. Other users subscribe to those feeds through iPhoto or a feed reader, allowing them to automatically receive updates when new photos are posted.
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs at the unveiling of the application last week claimed that the feature adheres to the RSS standard: "We use industry standard RSS. And so anyone can subscribe. You don't even need a Mac," he told delegates at the MacWorld conference in San Francisco.
But early test showed that the feature fails to work with some feed readers because it deviates from common RSS practices.
"It’s pretty bad. There are lots of errors, the date formats are wrong, there are elements that are not in RSS that aren’t in a namespace," said Dave Winer, who is considered the creator of RSS.
"Assuming [Apple's] intentions are good and they’re not trying to kill RSS, why don’t they put some of us under [a non-disclosure agreement] and let us help them get the bugs out before they ship," he suggested.
Apple strictly speaking isn't doing anything wrong. RSS isn't an official standard that's governed by a standards body. Therefore anybody can make changes and introduce new elements and extensions.
Microsoft for instance plans to introduce several new elements when it starts shipping Internet Explorer 7 later this year, allowing the inclusion of files into a feed. This enables a sports team, for example, to publish an RSS feed with dates for upcoming games that is imported directly into the players' calendars. The Windows screensaver will also be able show photo's that are published by a photo blog. Microsoft's efforts have generally been received as a welcome addition to RSS.
Apple however is introducing new elements that only aim to replace existing ones. The Photocast feature for instance uses a new element to indicate the date on which a photo was taken, even though there are already numerous alternatives that do the exact same thing. iPhoto however won't recognize the standard date elements.
Introducing new elements not only prevents common feed readers from accessing Photocasts, it also makes it harder for third party applications to introduce similar features that interoperate with iPhoto.
The non-standard elements for instance could prevent the Windows screensaver from displaying iPhoto Photocasts. And Google's Picasa photo viewer and editor could easily introduce a photocasting feature, but the use of non-standard elements could prevent a Picasa user from subscribing to an iPhoto feed and the other way around.
A spokesperson for Apple declined to comment.