Yahoo wont add slow RSS feeds

[John Mitchell]

My company is using RSS feeds as a stored search. People can search
our images for "green beer", then save the result as an RSS feed.

RSS feeds work fine in most readers, and the XML validates correctly.
Alas, Yahoo always gives me the dreaded:
"We couldn't find the RSS file you asked for."

Probably the formatting is wrong... but it usually works. What's up?
I was very suspicious when I saved the feed to a static file. Given
the static URL, Yahoo was able to add the feed -- formatted the same
-- just fine!

It turns out Yahoo wont add a feed if it takes more than X seconds to
return. For me, this is bad, as each feed = a search, and searches
can take 30 seconds...

Does anyone know a workaround? Here are a few possibilities:

1) detect the first Yahoo search, and reply with an empty feed.

2) do the search as usual, but flush out the first part of the RSS
feed before the results are in. This would give Yahoo something to
grab on to before it decides my feed is bogus.

3) fake it. Instead of the standard "Add to My Yahoo" button, put in
a magic link that will make Yahoo happy.


Any suggestions?

thanks!

- john




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[Bjoern Hoehrmann]

Post by John Mitchell
It turns out Yahoo wont add a feed if it takes more than X seconds to
return. For me, this is bad, as each feed = a search, and searches
can take 30 seconds...

It might be possible to work around this if you send some data every
other second, say, <!-- BOGUS COMMENT TO KEEP THE CONNECTION OPEN -->
or something like that, assuming you currently don't send anything
until the search completed.
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[Bill Kearney]

Post by John Mitchell
It turns out Yahoo wont add a feed if it takes more than X seconds to
return. For me, this is bad, as each feed = a search, and searches
can take 30 seconds...

Honestly? If you can't finish the transaction in under 30 seconds then you
really need to rethink the implementation. Either by throwing more iron at
it or caching the result set.




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[James Aylett]

Post by Bill Kearney

searches can take 30 seconds...

Honestly? If you can't finish the transaction in under 30 seconds then you
really need to rethink the implementation. Either by throwing more iron at
it or caching the result set.

Or by using some sort of index, which should give a better scale
factor than throwing more processing power at the problem...

James
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[Bill Kearney]

Post by James Aylett

Post by Bill Kearney

searches can take 30 seconds...

Honestly? If you can't finish the transaction in under 30 seconds then you
really need to rethink the implementation. Either by throwing more iron at
it or caching the result set.

Or by using some sort of index, which should give a better scale
factor than throwing more processing power at the problem...

Well, without a better understanding of the application involved it's hard
to say. But for something like a repetitively delivered newsfeed caching
is a VERY useful technique. If you know the source data hasn't changed why
bother looking again? And you WILL have client program hammering away FAR
more frequently than the search results changing.




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