Fred Wilson: "When will people start building apps/services that sit on top of multiple APIs?"
It's a good question, and the answer is -- we're already doing it. The services are now so reliable and flexible that you almost forget how complex the systems are.
Let's look at a Twittergram scenario:
1. Chris registers with the Twittergram site. That's App #1.
2. She takes out her iPhone and opens the phone app. That's App #2. (Yes, the mobile device is also a computer, it's running an app, with an interface, it can dial a number and transmit audio. It's old fashioned, but it works great.)
2. She calls BlogTalkRadio, 646-716-6000. That's app #3. Records a 30-second message.
3. She hangs up. BlogTalkRadio calls the Twittergram app. App #1, again.
4. Twittergram calls Amazon S3 to store the MP3. App #4.
5. Twittergram calls TInyUrl to create a short URL for the MP3. That's App #5.
5. Twittergram calls Twitter. That's App #6.
So there's a simple application that uses six different apps/services.
Another example, the Flickr-to-Twitter integration, also part of Twittergram.
1. Randy registers with the Twittergram site. That's app #1.
2. He goes to the park, sees a beautiful flower. Takes a picture with his iPhone. That's app #2.
3. He mails the picture to Flickr. That's app #3.
4. Twittergram is monitoring Randy's RSS 2.0 feed on Flickr. Some people might say this is another app, but let's be conservative. App #3, again.
5. It notices a new picture, grabs the URL, calls TinyUrl. That's App #4.
6. Grabs the title of the picture, appends the TInyUrl, sends it to Twitter. That's App #5.
Another app that uses five different apps/services.
We've been doing this stuff for a long time, all the way back to 1998, when XML-RPC first came online. It's always been about delivering functionality, quietly and reliably, to users.
Last update: Thursday, June 3, 2010; 4:01:42 PM
~About the Author~
Dave Winer, 55, is a visiting scholar at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. He pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS), podcasting, outlining, and web content management software; former contributing editor at Wired Magazine, research fellow at Harvard Law School, entrepreneur, and investor in web media companies. A native New Yorker, he received a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Tulane University and currently lives in New York City.
"RSS was born in 1997 out of the confluence of Dave Winer's 'Really Simple Syndication' technology, used to push out blog updates, and Netscape's 'Rich Site Summary', which allowed users to create custom Netscape home pages with regularly updated data flows." - Tim O'Reilly.
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