Software, Digital Content, Geopolitics, Economics & More from of a Libertarian Serial Expat and Entrepreneur
In: web services
11 Nov 2004Recent datapoints:
Of course eBay and Amazon are much further down that road than Skype, which provides its API for free, non-commercial use for now (commercial deals are negociated on a private, 1-on-1 basis). Information Skype wants out of the beta includes how many people it can host by server so the company can factor in costs and price presence services accordingly. Skype is also looking for an integration product manager, another hint that distribution is key to their growth plans. Coming soon: software developer and certification programs.
This is worth following closely. After all, the Google web APIs, introduced 2 1/2 years ago for non-commercial use, are still in beta with nothing very serious developed on top of them that I’m aware of, and not much visible action in the newsgroup either.
06/21/05 update: the Skype API use guidelines now support commercial applications.
12/02/05 update: Platforms, Mashups, and Markets.
I'm CEO of an online trade publishing firm in the marketing and defense verticals. We try to make news and data digestible and useful in an environment that is more noisy each day. This personal blog mixes my thoughts and interests on politics, business, software, and more, based on my business and personal experiences. Over the years I have posted items that turned out spectacularly wrong, and a few posts that stood the test of times better. Personal views only.