DU's RSS/XML feed unreliable

The value of DU's RSS/XML feed is totally undermined by it being shut off during level 1.

If you cant rely on the feed to be up users wont check it.

So, I'm wondering if there's a plan to prioritize the RSS/XML feed so that it doesnt crap out when DU reaches level 1.

Seriously though, how can this RSS/xml feed be so CPU /database intensive that the Administrators can't keep a version of this file updated and active even under heavy load? Even a version of this file that is maintained on a 5 minute update cycle would be sufficient under load. Cache it. slow down the updates. something.

If more users used that feed, the actual load on DU might be lessened, since the navigation goes right to the story from the RSS/XML items.

Anyways just wondering if others find spotty availabilty of the RSS/XML frustrating.

It would make my DU time a million times easier and shoudl be simple to implement. Not to mention that having this be a level 1 disabled feature seems extreme. The XML files are very bandwidth friendly, I would think they would encourage the use of RSS in order to cut down on traffic rather than cut out RSS as a result of too much traffic!

I can imagine that the RSS/XML as it's currently implemented might be dynamically generated. Cache it please!

For those of you in the dark about RSS/XML (like me a few months ago)
You can use Firefox 1.5 (don't get me started on the evils of Internet Exploder) and get these great "Live Bookmarks" that update the top stories on a site.

An orange icon shows up on sites that have RSS/XML feeds available, and you can add the Live bookmark to sites that support this.

When you click on the Live bookmark, it shows a listing of links into the site, so that you bypass the frontpage etc. Very nice for news junkies like me.

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