Why should anyone ever use a Google API again? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why should anyone ever use a Google API again?

#181

Post by rryan » Mon, May 30, 2011, 12:50 AM UTC

latj wrote: post #165

Google was ok giving you a connection to translate because you were helping them build up the system. Now the most powerful database of human language is going to be locked up. We should all learn a lesson from this...

How does using the translate API help Google? They already have the largest source of natural language text in existence (the web) -- why would they need your translation queries?

Re: Why should anyone ever use a Google API again?

#182

Post by rryan » Mon, May 30, 2011, 12:53 AM UTC

chris-hexx wrote: post #143

rryan wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For e.g. the translate API, how could they train their algorithms? There is no feedback associated with it (that I know of).

Static analysis of lots of human translators' output. Given the input and output of a strange human filter, they're trying to approximate the filter using machine learning. When their algorithm's output approximates the best translations, they're done.

That's one way to train a translation system, but that's not related to the Translate API -- I'm asking, what benefit does Google receive from usage of the API? They already have the entire Internet in their index -- it's not like they need a better source of what phrases exist. The parent implied that Google was using the API to train their MT systems, which I find hard to believe.

Re: Why should anyone ever use a Google API again?

#183

Post by tonfa » Mon, May 30, 2011, 8:37 AM UTC

alanh wrote: post #125

tonfa wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and it is deprecated, not shutdown: "we have no current plans to remove existing functionality".

Fair point, but isn’t that basically what deprecation is? A communication that something will likely stop working at some point?

Not always, it might also mean they moved it into maintenance mode.

Re: Why should anyone ever use a Google API again?

#184

Post by GFischer » Mon, May 30, 2011, 2:29 PM UTC

kenjackson wrote: post #144

kprobst wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that they provided a replacement and a migration path.

And you could keep on using VB6. I wouldn't be surprised if there still aren't thousands of business critical apps that still aren't using it. Web Services are different in that when they're no longer supported, you can't use them.

Don't be surprised. I have seen a billion-dollar Brazilian megacorp using it for its core software, and several smaller (but still multimillion-dollar sized) companies relying on it as well (we have hundreds of VB6 apps at the insurance company I work for).

Re: Why should anyone ever use a Google API again?

#185

Post by toddh » Sun, Jun 05, 2011, 8:06 PM UTC

rryan wrote: post #141

toddh wrote: post #139

My guess is Google setup these APIs to help train their learning algorithms. Now that they are trained there's no reason to keep up the service anymore. Maybe the key is to stay away from APIs that do work and don't contribute to revenue?

For e.g. the translate API, how could they train their algorithms? There is no feedback associated with it (that I know of).

GOOG-411 is an example of this process. Google got voice samples and users got a service. When the voice training parameters stopped getting better the service was shut off.