I agree that the way how RSS clients were designed 10 years ago wouldn't work well today, but that is an a problem with architecture and UX design of rss client. I don't think that it has anything to do with the RSS or ATOM XML data structure standard.

Having machine readable data in open format is useful so that anyone can use it, and create a it's own solution without spending too much time on interpreting the data. While with unstructured, javascript heavy sites one would need to build it's own little search engine to be able to process it and desing/train it's solution for reasonable information extraction, which increases barriers to entry.

You’re right about RSS. I just see a better solution for this idea of a content-delivery system being one implemented as a smart client that can handle all websites rather than a dumb client that hopes every website in 2022 implements RSS. That way there’s no “you’re just using it wrong.” ;)

I don't care what you use it for. You can use SMS messages primarily to make a phone stuffed in your underwear keep vibrating, but if you want to complain that it's an inconvenient teledildonics protocol and client, that's on you.

Though, if you think you can code up a "smart client" that doesn't use puny RSS, but can "handle all websites" and will work better at tracking and delivering content to you than RSS does on zillions of websites (including new ones), you open up your editor and get at it, then. Have fun.

I find invoking the NYT especially funny because they have MANY RSS feeds, letting you filter by sections.

The Sunday NYT is a bit of a challenge, mind you.