6 ms·

TfL Kill Two of My Apps

65 points by bensummers 16y ago

gstar 16y ago
The concept of "crown copyright" in the UK is stifling to innovation, backward, and shows no respect for those who pay tax. We should ask our local MPs to do as the US have done, where government created IP is public domain.
- pbhjpbhj 16y ago
  >We should ask our local MPs to do as the US have done, where government created IP is public domain. Perhaps I'm making too many assumptions but I'm thinking that even if the data were PD it wouldn't matter. They still need to get hold of it in the first place. The data is continuously refreshed, presumably, even caching the data returned by the API (for more than a short time) would be bad - trains|buses are delayed, break-down, there are strikes and closures, etc. and so transport services are in constant flux.
fragmede 16y ago
(Transport for London) disabled open journey planning API after supplier releases own commercial app.
- ramchip 16y ago
  I don't think you can say "after supplier releases own commercial app" without being a little dishonest: I have been using this successfully for more than 6 months for both London Bus (now called London Travel Deluxe) and London Tube Deluxe Pro for iPad. The blogger (and many commenters) jumped to conclusions way too quickly here.
  - fragmede 16y ago
    > It’s an uncomfortable coincidence that the XML API was closed down a week after the removal of MDV’s release of the ‘My TfL’ app. I reworded the title based on my reading of the article where the above quotation is from. TfL was a meaningless acronym in the title, especially without any context.
iuguy 16y ago
TFL are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The blog poster should be able to get answers, documentation etc. through that. If he really wants to scare the crap out of them he should also issue a subject access request for all data mentioning him, including emails and files. This type of thing sends a government funded agency into a complete tailspin.
- ig1 16y ago
  Yep. FOI requests are pretty simple the poster just needs to send them an email saying "I would like to an information request under the Freedom of Information Act, please send me any emails or documentation related to the shutting down of xyz service". They need to sign off with their real name, but that's about it in terms of what you have to put in a request. The FOI contact information for tfl: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/foi/ http://www.tfl.gov.uk/foi/
  - iuguy 16y ago
    If they use a service like http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ it's even easier, it keeps track of the responses and indexes them for other people.
- ceejayoz 16y ago
  Here in the States, the government knows full well how to deal with uppity citizens abusing our Freedom of Information Act. We put them on hold for four years, then tell them it'll cost $1 million to get everything together. http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=157782&catid=346 http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=157782&...
  - immad 16y ago
    In the UK the max you can charge is £10 and I assume their is a time limit but not sure about that.
    - estel 16y ago
w1ntermute 16y ago
Anybody else get confused by the title because of the British English practice of using the plural verb forms for (certain) collective nouns?
- alextgordon 16y ago
  I don't understand what you mean, can you explain?
  - tpz 16y ago
    US: Netcraft confirms Microsoft is dying. UK: Netcraft confirm Microsoft are dying.
    - alextgordon 16y ago
      Thanks - I never noticed that. I think I must have been unconsciously converting the US style to the UK style in my head all this time.
      - smcl 16y ago
        It's in the context of football that I really struggle to contain myself, and I'm not a grammar nazi any other time. "Manchester United is going to win", or "Scotland has no chance", Argh!! I've no real reason to hate this, but it just feels wrong!
        rahoulb 16y ago
        "Manchester United" is a contraction of "Manchester United Football Club"
        jrockway 16y ago
        Right, but en_UK dictates that this is plural, and hence you say "Manchester United are going to win."
abraham 16y ago
UPDATE 24/10/2010 @ 6pm: I have been informed that the change was part of a security update & that TfL are working on restoring the service immediately and are also fully committed to open data.
- mjs 16y ago
  This should be at the top of the post, rather than right at the bottom... (Another case of malice or stupidity--stupidity wins a lot of the time.)
  - wowfat 16y ago
    Yea, reminds me of malice vs stupidity http://www.webdigi.co.uk/blog/2009/stupidity-versus-malice/ http://www.webdigi.co.uk/blog/2009/stupidity-versus-malice/
16s 16y ago
Summary: Developer's app depends on external API to function. He has sold thousands of apps and his customers are happy. Then, external API stops working. So, his app stops working. He wrote a long article complaining about the external API and its failure impacting his business.

65 points by bensummers 16y ago

gstar 16y ago

The concept of "crown copyright" in the UK is stifling to innovation, backward, and shows no respect for those who pay tax. We should ask our local MPs to do as the US have done, where government created IP is public domain.

pbhjpbhj 16y ago
>We should ask our local MPs to do as the US have done, where government created IP is public domain. Perhaps I'm making too many assumptions but I'm thinking that even if the data were PD it wouldn't matter. They still need to get hold of it in the first place. The data is continuously refreshed, presumably, even caching the data returned by the API (for more than a short time) would be bad - trains|buses are delayed, break-down, there are strikes and closures, etc. and so transport services are in constant flux.

fragmede 16y ago

(Transport for London) disabled open journey planning API after supplier releases own commercial app.

ramchip 16y ago
I don't think you can say "after supplier releases own commercial app" without being a little dishonest: I have been using this successfully for more than 6 months for both London Bus (now called London Travel Deluxe) and London Tube Deluxe Pro for iPad. The blogger (and many commenters) jumped to conclusions way too quickly here.
- fragmede 16y ago
  > It’s an uncomfortable coincidence that the XML API was closed down a week after the removal of MDV’s release of the ‘My TfL’ app. I reworded the title based on my reading of the article where the above quotation is from. TfL was a meaningless acronym in the title, especially without any context.

iuguy 16y ago

TFL are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The blog poster should be able to get answers, documentation etc. through that. If he really wants to scare the crap out of them he should also issue a subject access request for all data mentioning him, including emails and files. This type of thing sends a government funded agency into a complete tailspin.

ig1 16y ago
Yep. FOI requests are pretty simple the poster just needs to send them an email saying "I would like to an information request under the Freedom of Information Act, please send me any emails or documentation related to the shutting down of xyz service". They need to sign off with their real name, but that's about it in terms of what you have to put in a request. The FOI contact information for tfl: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/foi/ http://www.tfl.gov.uk/foi/
- iuguy 16y ago
  If they use a service like http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ it's even easier, it keeps track of the responses and indexes them for other people.
ceejayoz 16y ago
Here in the States, the government knows full well how to deal with uppity citizens abusing our Freedom of Information Act. We put them on hold for four years, then tell them it'll cost $1 million to get everything together. http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=157782&catid=346 http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=157782&...
- immad 16y ago
  In the UK the max you can charge is £10 and I assume their is a time limit but not sure about that.
  - estel 16y ago

w1ntermute 16y ago

Anybody else get confused by the title because of the British English practice of using the plural verb forms for (certain) collective nouns?

alextgordon 16y ago
I don't understand what you mean, can you explain?
- tpz 16y ago
  US: Netcraft confirms Microsoft is dying. UK: Netcraft confirm Microsoft are dying.
  - alextgordon 16y ago
    Thanks - I never noticed that. I think I must have been unconsciously converting the US style to the UK style in my head all this time.
    - smcl 16y ago
      It's in the context of football that I really struggle to contain myself, and I'm not a grammar nazi any other time. "Manchester United is going to win", or "Scotland has no chance", Argh!! I've no real reason to hate this, but it just feels wrong!
      - rahoulb 16y ago
        "Manchester United" is a contraction of "Manchester United Football Club"
        jrockway 16y ago
        Right, but en_UK dictates that this is plural, and hence you say "Manchester United are going to win."

abraham 16y ago

UPDATE 24/10/2010 @ 6pm: I have been informed that the change was part of a security update & that TfL are working on restoring the service immediately and are also fully committed to open data.

mjs 16y ago
This should be at the top of the post, rather than right at the bottom... (Another case of malice or stupidity--stupidity wins a lot of the time.)
- wowfat 16y ago
  Yea, reminds me of malice vs stupidity http://www.webdigi.co.uk/blog/2009/stupidity-versus-malice/ http://www.webdigi.co.uk/blog/2009/stupidity-versus-malice/

16s 16y ago

Summary: Developer's app depends on external API to function. He has sold thousands of apps and his customers are happy. Then, external API stops working. So, his app stops working. He wrote a long article complaining about the external API and its failure impacting his business.