Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe orange “XML” icon on a website usually links to its RSS feed. Open the link or copy its address, then add that feed URL to an RSS reader to follow the site’s updates.
What the orange XML icon signals
It is a conventional link to a website’s RSS feed, not the feed contents themselves and not a universal symbol required by a standard. Trac documentation describes the icon as appearing where RSS is available and linking to that resource’s feed (TracRss). AmphetaDesk’s website-integration documentation likewise shows the icon inside a link to an RSS URL (Integrating Your Website).
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How to use the link
- Click the orange XML icon, or copy its link address if you want to add the feed directly.
- In your RSS reader, add the feed URL to your list of subscriptions. The reader retrieves and displays items from the feed; instructions from the South Carolina Enterprise Information System describe this workflow (RSS Feeds).
What happens when you click depends on the site, browser, and reader: the link may open a feed URL or prompt you to use a reader. The stable purpose is to get the feed URL and subscribe; it may not appear as a polished webpage.
Why it says XML
RSS feeds are commonly published as XML documents, which is why the icon is labeled “XML.” But XML is a general document format: an XML file is not automatically an RSS feed. A 2004 tutorial by Ted Roche describes RSS in this XML publishing-and-subscription context (RSS: XML Publish and Subscribe Using Visual FoxPro).
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Fast Company’s index entry “The designer of the XML icon (among other stuff)” associates designer Bryan Bell with the orange icon and connects its creation to a request from Dave Winer (Icon). That page is an index entry rather than the full underlying story, so the origin account should be treated as attributed background, not a fully documented history.
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