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> We realized we needed to make changes to ensure the highest level of quality, performance and uptime for our API users. As a result, we’ve made the difficult

by ihuman 8y ago

> We realized we needed to make changes to ensure the highest level of quality, performance and uptime for our API users. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to retire the Weather Underground API. Wait what? They weren't satisfied with the API, so they decided to end it instead of fixing it? I pay for an app that has the option to use WU's API (Carrot Weather), so I'm upset by this. I've found their current weather and predictions to be more accurate than Dark Sky.

magduf 8y ago
>They weren't satisfied with the API, so they decided to end it instead of fixing it? Yeah, basically. They want you to use their ad-infested or paid app instead, they don't want you using someone else's (or worse yet, your own) app or program to get their data.
- jrnichols 8y ago
  A lot of people were upset (and rightly so) when they EOLd the awesome weather app called Storm. The replacement was (and still is) garbage, riddled with advertisements. Initially there was no ad-free option. The Weather Channel apps are garbage, and full of ads too. Same with the website. I'm surprised that IBM has done such a terrible job with TWC.
ryandrake 8y ago
That quote is bizarre corporate-speak. It sounds like “We would need to change our product to make it perfect. So instead we’re going to kill it.” It doesn’t make sense.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- Bartweiss 8y ago
  Surprisingly, I think it means exactly what it says: accessing WU through the API was flaky and unreliable, with lots of downtime. It sucks to maintain as-is, and they can't be bothered fixing it, so they're killing it off. (Of course, it was a unique data source, and still better than actually using their actual site, so this is a nasty bit of corporate indifference.)
  - Nullabillity 8y ago
    In what world is 100% broken better than 95% broken?
    - Bartweiss 8y ago
      For users, none at all. I'm sort of assuming the thing wasn't stable enough to stay up without ongoing effort, given that they seem to have stopped maintaining/supporting it a bit ago and only now killed it off. But for everyone except IBM, this is clearly negative.
    - rtkwe 8y ago
      For the users of that data none. For them the one where 95% broken was a pain to maintain and wasn't bringing in much money. "We realized we needed ... for our API users" is meaningless pretty much every decision gets some justification where it's somehow better for the users but it's just a thin enamel over whatever real business justification there is 95% of the time.
  - pwg 8y ago
    Another possibility is: "accessing WU through the API provides no ad revenue opportunity, so we are killing the API off".
kevin_b_er 8y ago
The International Business Machines Corporation wants you to use Weather Company Data feed now. You'll need to call them for pricing, however. Current estimates on that pricing are $400/mo if you read the commenters. In the end, you are not an International Business, so the International Business Machines Corporation has no more use for you. You should've expected this when they bought out The Weather Channel. Likely Carrot Weather cannot afford it either. International Business Machines Corporation likely doesn't want 3rd party applications to compete with its Weather Company's 1st party apps.
- rconti 8y ago
  Carrot Weather's uber-premium subscription level is more expensive PRECISELY because of the access to WU data. I hope it includes the new pricing model, since I just paid for it.. yesterday.

by ihuman 8y ago

magduf 8y ago

>They weren't satisfied with the API, so they decided to end it instead of fixing it? Yeah, basically. They want you to use their ad-infested or paid app instead, they don't want you using someone else's (or worse yet, your own) app or program to get their data.

jrnichols 8y ago
A lot of people were upset (and rightly so) when they EOLd the awesome weather app called Storm. The replacement was (and still is) garbage, riddled with advertisements. Initially there was no ad-free option. The Weather Channel apps are garbage, and full of ads too. Same with the website. I'm surprised that IBM has done such a terrible job with TWC.

ryandrake 8y ago

That quote is bizarre corporate-speak. It sounds like “We would need to change our product to make it perfect. So instead we’re going to kill it.” It doesn’t make sense.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Bartweiss 8y ago
Surprisingly, I think it means exactly what it says: accessing WU through the API was flaky and unreliable, with lots of downtime. It sucks to maintain as-is, and they can't be bothered fixing it, so they're killing it off. (Of course, it was a unique data source, and still better than actually using their actual site, so this is a nasty bit of corporate indifference.)
- Nullabillity 8y ago
  In what world is 100% broken better than 95% broken?
  - Bartweiss 8y ago
    For users, none at all. I'm sort of assuming the thing wasn't stable enough to stay up without ongoing effort, given that they seem to have stopped maintaining/supporting it a bit ago and only now killed it off. But for everyone except IBM, this is clearly negative.
  - rtkwe 8y ago
    For the users of that data none. For them the one where 95% broken was a pain to maintain and wasn't bringing in much money. "We realized we needed ... for our API users" is meaningless pretty much every decision gets some justification where it's somehow better for the users but it's just a thin enamel over whatever real business justification there is 95% of the time.
- pwg 8y ago
  Another possibility is: "accessing WU through the API provides no ad revenue opportunity, so we are killing the API off".

kevin_b_er 8y ago

The International Business Machines Corporation wants you to use Weather Company Data feed now. You'll need to call them for pricing, however. Current estimates on that pricing are $400/mo if you read the commenters. In the end, you are not an International Business, so the International Business Machines Corporation has no more use for you. You should've expected this when they bought out The Weather Channel. Likely Carrot Weather cannot afford it either. International Business Machines Corporation likely doesn't want 3rd party applications to compete with its Weather Company's 1st party apps.

rconti 8y ago
Carrot Weather's uber-premium subscription level is more expensive PRECISELY because of the access to WU data. I hope it includes the new pricing model, since I just paid for it.. yesterday.