api

Amazon's cloud APIs need to become standards

I read on Wednesday that Sun Microsystems plans to release open-source application programming interfaces for its soon-to-launch cloud services. The obvious question in my mind is, why wouldn't Sun just support Amazon's APIs, which have become the de facto standard?

The short answer is that Amazon filed a very broad patent titled "Distributed storage system with Web services client interface" related to its Simple Storage Service (S3), and it's not clear if the company will eventually take legal action against those using the APIs in their own products.

We can argue all day about the … Read more

Twitter search gains prominence, importance

Twitter is working to convert its popularity into a business, and Google has shown that search can make money. So it's notable that Twitter is giving its search function new prominence.

Rather than consigning its Twitter search page to a separate corner of its Web site, Twitter has begun testing its use on the main Twitter.com page. "We've placed Search and Trends into the signed-in home pages of a limited set of accounts to get a better sense of how it works for folks before we release the feature completely into the wild," Twitter co-founder Biz Stone … Read more

Facebook releases commenting widget

Facebook has extended Facebook Connect to make it easier for site owners to use the feature.

Connect, as I've written previously, is a powerful way for publishers to tap in to the Facebook community. When users leave comments on a site using Connect, those comments can also show on the users' Facebook profile pages, which acts as a form of free site marketing to the Facebook audience.

The company on Thursday released a new widget that enables Facebook comments to be added to any Web page. More from the Facebook developers' blog. See also the video demo, embedded here. … Read more

Viacom to shut off MTV music video API

Media giant Viacom plans to restrict the embedding of music videos from MTV Networks.

Justin Tormey, a staff member for MTVN developer services, announced in a blog posting Friday that starting next month, the company would no longer make video embeds available through MTV's API:

We've got a number of changes coming on the MTVN Content API. If you're currently using the API for your site or application please take note of the changes and the timeline.

First, we want to thank everyone for their involvement with the API. You've provided valuable feedback and insight through … Read more

Which apps are using the new Facebook APIs?

This past weekend's announcement by Facebook that the company would be opening up its APIs to allow for posting of notes, videos, and more has left some companies scrambling to add new functionality to existing applications. Below we've highlighted a handful of the ones that let you post to Facebook from a desktop client, be it standalone or something that plugs into your browser.

We've talked to the people at each one to see when you should be expecting to be able to make use of the new API in each app:

"Blogo already supports Facebook … Read more

Facebook makes new push for more apps

Facebook is looking to unleash a new wave of applications to get its users creating and sharing more content.

The social-networking company has launched a number of APIs (application programming interfaces) that will let developers access content and methods for sharing in Facebook apps including Status, Notes, Links, and Video. According to a post on the Facebook developers blog Friday evening:

Specifically, your applications can now directly access all of a user's status, links, and notes via new methods and FQL calls. Your application will have access to any status, notes, or links from the active user or their … Read more

In Google we trust?

The more Google grows, the more it becomes a cause for concern for many people--and not simply its competitors. But should it?

On the one hand, Google has become a privacy bogeyman, dropping off the list of the top 20 companies trusted with customer privacy. Ironically, this has come at the same time that Google has upped its commitment to open data policies, which enable users to control their own data privacy policies. Are users suggesting that they can't trust themselves?

This abandonment of trust in Google also comes in the face of an ever-growing commitment within Google to … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 873: Drunk sexy lunch

Listen all the way to the end of the show in order to understand what this title is all about. Wow, it's been quite the week here at BOL. But in actual news, the latest IE zero-day exploit just keeps getting worse (use another browser, people), the iPhone 3G has been unlocked, and Twitter is making millions...for other companies. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 873

Major security alert for Microsoft Internet Explorer http://www.obsessable.com/news/2008/12/16/major-security-alert-for-microsoft-internet-explorer/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/16/AR2008121601022.html http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/16/1319217… Read more

Userplane chat plays nice with social networks

AOL-owned Userplane, a provider of social software for online communities, announced Tuesday that users of the company's chat app will now be able to chat with others regardless of the platform they're using.

According to the company, Userplane's Chat app will work with MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Ning, Flux, and Bebo. Userplane claims that it will continue to expand its chat app's compatibility with other services, since it will work on any social network that offers an open API.

"Users check in with multiple social communities every day and their connections shouldn't be limited to … Read more