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Why should anyone ever use a Google API again?

googlecode.blogspot.com

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

#31

Post by corin_ »

jsdalton wrote: post #26

I don't mean to be a stickler, but this is an egregious example of editorializing in the title. Can someone edit it please? I was already well aware of the API deprecation story, but I clicked on this link thinking it was a new article from Google defending the move (or something of the sort).

This submission is linking to a comment, not a news story, and that comment asks "why should any developer, any company which wants to build a valuable product for the long term use any of your APIs ever again?"

So, still slightly editorialised title here on HN, but pretty much on the money.

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

#32

Post by [deleted] »

jsdalton wrote: post #26

I don't mean to be a stickler, but this is an egregious example of editorializing in the title. Can someone edit it please? I was already well aware of the API deprecation story, but I clicked on this link thinking it was a new article from Google defending the move (or something of the sort).

[deleted]

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

#33

Post by dkarl »

jsdalton wrote: post #26

I don't mean to be a stickler, but this is an egregious example of editorializing in the title. Can someone edit it please? I was already well aware of the API deprecation story, but I clicked on this link thinking it was a new article from Google defending the move (or something of the sort).

The post itself presents an opinion, not a news item, and the title reflects the content of the post.

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

#34

Post by jsdalton »

corin_ wrote: post #31
jsdalton wrote: post #26

I don't mean to be a stickler, but this is an egregious example of editorializing in the title. Can someone edit it please? I was already well aware of the API deprecation story, but I clicked on this link thinking it was a new article from Google defending the move (or something of the sort).

This submission is linking to a comment, not a news story, and that comment asks "why should any developer, any company which wants to build a valuable product for the long term use any of your APIs ever again?" So, still slightly editorialised title here on HN, but pretty much on the money.

I totally missed that. Thank you for clarifying.

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

#35

Post by code_duck »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #14

Google cites abuse as the reason for shutting down the translate API. I find it ironic that they have engineers smart enough to write software that can translate human language between hundreds of language pairs, but can't write software to stop abuse. I'll let Google in on a little secret: If you charge more for a service than it costs you to provide, then there is no such thing as abuse.

Well, maybe not just that type of abuse, overusage without benefit to Google. Of course there could still be abuse of some sort, like somehow using a service to spread spam or malware.

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

#37

Post by tomkarlo »

Offering an API, paid or unpaid, is not making an unending commitment to support it forever. If it was, businesses would simply not offer APIs.

When someone offers a product or service, they have to right to decide later on to not offer that service any more. That is simply the nature of any business arrangement where you are depending on an entity not under your control.

Would the OP prefer that Google and other companies simply not offer APIs?

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

#38

Post by alienreborn »

michaelpinto wrote: post #25

Question: Can anyone recommend another Translation API? The problem is that the translation work that Google does is the best out there that I've seen, and I'm not even sure if there's a decent alternative to be found.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/dev/

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

#39

Post by pfhayes »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #20
jmathai wrote: post #2

I can't state this enough. Building your company which heavily relies on an API provided by someone else is risky business. Why are we still in this infatuation stage of ignoring the pitfalls of this?

I think you can state this in a different way, "Why would I invest in a company which will be killed by Google changing its mind about an API?" I imagine (but it's pure speculation) that folks like YC, other Angels, or early stage VC's should as their due diligence point out this risk and without a reasonable mitigation option pass on funding. This would 'self correct' folks who weren't doing the extra work. However…

If the abuse is translating spam, then that's even more surprising - because that's exactly the kind of abuse that Gmail already prevents all the time. It even seems like a great opportunity for Google to gather spam data in all sorts of languages.

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

#40

Post by ankimal »

Dint Fred Wilson say this at Disrupt NY last week: http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/fred-wilson-be-your-own-bit...

They should charge for it at the very least. Whats stopping anyone from using a proxy service and hitting their web page? I m sure people would rather pay a little than go through these unnecessarily complicated and unethical practices.

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