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The API-ization of everything

blog.garrytan.com

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Re: The API-ization of everything

#41

Post by steveklabnik »

bmelton wrote: post #37
pdkl95 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a very interesting idea - a formalized representation of contact information would help a lot in fighting the walled-garden effect of Facebook/etc. Unfortunately, as currently implemented, this seems to be yet another centralized service that that is a single point of failure. Would you consider taking a moment to write up a (draft) protocol first? Core features of the internet (representation of personal met…

Admittedly, I was in something of a rush to throw it together, and altogether skipped that step. As you'd expect, the result was a bunch of second guessing, and false starts. That said, I'm absolutely trending that direction, but I felt like there was enough that I didn't know that attempting a spec out of the gate would have led to a bad spec and a bad implementation, and the way that I've always worked, it's easier…

If you'd like assistance working on a spec and learning how to submit it to standards bodies, please send me an email, I'd love to help.

Re: The API-ization of everything

#42

Post by steveklabnik »

chenster wrote: post #39

API is a legacy term created the time before the Internet era standing for Application Programming Interface. Should it be called Web Service to be more precise for API connecting over the Internet?

"Web services" is pretty strongly associated with SOAP, at least in my part of the world.

Re: The API-ization of everything

#43

Post by teddyh »

drblast wrote: post #26

If only this were more true. API's for most things are...lacking. A dearth of API's is particularly bad in computer security. Vendors: We have this great new device to monitor ___ and alert on it! Customers: We'd like to integrate that with our other devices, and this Hadoop cluster... Vendors: We integrate with all kinds of stuff! Customers: Can you show me? Vendors: You just go to our shitty web front end and click…

> Your target audience is techies […]

“Techies” do not usually make purchase decisions. Those products that you describe sell well because the very same features you decry (Excel files, drag-and-drop web UI) are appreciated by those who actually make the purchasing decisions.

Re: The API-ization of everything

#45

Post by gizzlon »

teddyh wrote: post #43
drblast wrote: post #26

If only this were more true. API's for most things are...lacking. A dearth of API's is particularly bad in computer security. Vendors: We have this great new device to monitor ___ and alert on it! Customers: We'd like to integrate that with our other devices, and this Hadoop cluster... Vendors: We integrate with all kinds of stuff! Customers: Can you show me? Vendors: You just go to our shitty web front end and click…

> Your target audience is techies […] “Techies” do not usually make purchase decisions. Those products that you describe sell well because the very same features you decry (Excel files, drag-and-drop web UI) are appreciated by those who actually make the purchasing decisions.

Yeah, but saving money is also appreciated by those who actually make the purchasing decisions :)

Re: The API-ization of everything

#46

Post by camus2 »

killme2 wrote: post #27
trey_swann wrote: post #21

Armed with APIs, developers will drive the composable enterprise http://gigaom.com/2013/10/12/armed-with-apis-developers-will... SUMMARY: The rise of APIs as a source for web services and data means that developers don’t have to reinvent the wheel on every feature — they can source it from an API. This trend brings about the composable enterprise.

There's always the danger of relying on APIs that are subsequently retired with little notice though.

so true, your core business should not rely on a third party API that doesnt have any contractual obligation with you.

Yet APIs can be a great way to launch a product fast. You have to become independent as soon as you can.

Re: The API-ization of everything

#47

Post by gizzlon »

bmelton wrote: post #6

The final sentence in the article really struck a chord with me... > Where there is paper to push, a call to answer, or a purchase to approve, there is an API coming to replace it. I've made a pretty decent living in life by following the old mantra that anywhere you see an Excel spreadsheet being used in a business process, there's an opportunity to exploit. That idiom has now moved even further, at this point, and…

Seems most useful for information that changes often. Say, for example, you move around a lot and I want to know when you're in town. I could poll your API (and others like you) and see who's in town this week.

Or maybe, as a freelancer it could be used to signal that you have free time. And the consumer could then find 5 rails programmers, who also know whatever, with at least a week of free time coming up.

Re: The API-ization of everything

#48

Post by nl »

gizzlon wrote: post #45
teddyh wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Your target audience is techies […] “Techies” do not usually make purchase decisions. Those products that you describe sell well because the very same features you decry (Excel files, drag-and-drop web UI) are appreciated by those who actually make the purchasing decisions.

Yeah, but saving money is also appreciated by those who actually make the purchasing decisions :)

Surprisingly often that isn't actually the case.

There are a lot of reasons for this - both positive & negative.

In some places the size of your budget is a measure of your importance.

In some places once you go over a manager's personal sign off authority there is no difference between asking for $50,000 and $250,000.

Re: The API-ization of everything

#49

Post by nl »

bmelton wrote: post #6

The final sentence in the article really struck a chord with me... > Where there is paper to push, a call to answer, or a purchase to approve, there is an API coming to replace it. I've made a pretty decent living in life by following the old mantra that anywhere you see an Excel spreadsheet being used in a business process, there's an opportunity to exploit. That idiom has now moved even further, at this point, and…

Err.. Webfinger? http://www.packetizer.com/webfinger/

It has the bonus of having support from places like Google:

Discovery: curl -i https://gmail.com/.well-known/host-meta

Information: curl "http://www.google.com/s2/webfinger/?q=acct%3Anick.lothian%40...

Re: The API-ization of everything

#50

Post by apidoc »

API's are great, but they are not the end of development.

While i develop several projects and write OpenSource apiDoc (http://apidocjs.com) i see the advantages of API's like you did it. Clean way of development and access, but on the other side some double work on frontend and backend (for own Applications).

Iam excited of the next evolution step of API's or what will be used after API's.

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