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Is the Flickr API a National Treasure?

Posted by timothy on from the coerce-and-control-network dept.

First time accepted submitter somekind writes "Over the past few months Twitter imposed restrictions on the use of its client API, and Facebook shut down the facial recognition API supporting face.com after acquiring the company. Mathew Ingram noted these and other examples (Google starting to charge for high-volume use of Google Maps) as evidence that 'open APIs' published by a single vendor can't be trusted by outside developers. Worried about the possibility that Yahoo! might do the same with Flickr, Dave Winer has just launched a petition to Obama asking the President to declare the Flickr API a National Historic Landmark, thus (by Dave's reckoning) legally protected from arbitrary withdrawal or wholesale changes by its corporate masters."

7 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. No it is not by js3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If we learned anything, software dies. Twitter, Facebook, Flicker and whatever flavor of the times websites eventually be forgotten like MySpace, Geocities, AOL and Yahoo

    --
    did you forget to take your meds?
    1. Re:No it is not by buchner.johannes · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If we learned anything, software dies. Twitter, Facebook, Flicker and whatever flavor of the times websites eventually be forgotten like MySpace, Geocities, AOL and Yahoo

      Google is a prime example of trying out fancy things (even buying companies with awesome ideas), and being very happy to let them die, abandoning users. That would all be fine, if another company could pick things up, but software patents in the US are stupid.

      --
      NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
    2. Re:No it is not by lgw · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Critical mass? There was a time when most people on the internet used AOL. There was a time when most web pages were geocities pages.

      Everything fades eventually. Facebook, twitter, Ozimandius, whatever.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
  2. Uh... by CajunArson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dave Winer has just launched a petition to Obama asking the President to declare the Flickr API a National Historic Landmark, thus (by Dave's reckoning) legally protected from arbitrary withdrawal or wholesale changes by its corporate masters."

    Yeah nice meaningless stunt.

    If the API is truly "open" then this guy can buy the servers and the network connectivity and the electricity and the hosting support needed to host the sotfware that keeps it going in perpetuity and he won't have to worry about Flickr suing him becuase it's "open".

    Something tells me he is more upset that somebody else won't be paying for all of those things for his personal gain. Well guess what: When you live by the "free" service you die by the "free" service.

    --
    AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
  3. What an incredibly stupid and evil idea. by jcr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The last thing in the world we need is a pack of bureaucrats telling anyone how to develop their products. Maybe Dave Winer thought he was being funny, but if he's serious, he should be slapped upside the head, good and hard.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    1. Re:What an incredibly stupid and evil idea. by dissy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If he doesn't work there anymore, that pretty much answers your question.
      You can't hold him accountable for what a company he used to work for does in the future.
      Never know, that might even have been part of why he left.

  4. Dave should own it by cryfreedomlove · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is a solution for Dave's dilemma. He should start a rival service to flickr (i.e. pay for it) and then personally guarantee to keep it and its API running for free forever. Go ahead Dave! What is stopping you?