"Longhorn" to support RSS

"We really believe that RSS is key to how people will be using the Internet in the future," said Megan Kidd, a Windows product manager.

Having RSS built into Longhorn could pose a serious threat to companies that sell RSS readers. But Kidd contends that Microsoft isn't out to put anyone out of business writes Business Week

"This is not a replacement for readers by any means," she said. "What this does is enable more developers to create more readers."

The Redmond, Washington-based company is planning to offer a set of underlying extensions to RSS code that will make it easier for Web sites to publish lists such as photo albums, music playlists and other sorts of Top 10 lists as RSS feeds.

"In Longhorn, the next version of Windows, we are betting big on RSS," said Dean Hachamovitch, a general manager on the Longhorn team. "We're betting this particular way because there aren't enough end users who see it and get it, and it's not easy enough for them yet."