Feed readers aren't dying because RSS is obsolete; they're dying because the economics around "free, ad‑free, and maintained forever" were never real.

RSSGuard becomes the case study: A feed reader that was actively maintained, but updates break user data. -And many people have had these moments with FOSS apps.

The FOSS licensing model is supposed to protect users, but in practice it often confuses them and doesn't guarantee stability. Feedreaders are practically dead now because people expect them to be free (also free of ads) so almost none of them are getting maintained.

RSS readers have no monetization path, no network effect, no viral growth, no corporate sponsor, and no "killer feature" that attracts devs. -And they're used by a tiny niche of power users. -And this power user is frustrated with how very different each one can be. Trying to pick a new one is like sifting through a dumpster full of pig shit for a pearl. -And it doesn't help that some up and comer wannabe dev is making a new feed reader practically every week.

RSS didn't die; the business model did.

With GPL garbage, you get a single developer, fragile codebase, a migration system that breaks, a UX that feels bolted together, a project that tries to do everything (local feeds, online services, sync, scripting, plugins), and and ends up doing none of it reliably.

This is a part of what makes Linux horrible. -It's free, people expect free for anything alternative to Windows or Mac. - And nothing free can actually compete with them. Linux will always be shitty for desktop unless a government intervenes enough. -And that harms competition and innovation (like communism).

RSS isn't dead because it's outdated. It's dead because nobody wants to maintain a free tool for people who refuse to pay and complain when it breaks.