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" API's don't have comments, they don't have expressiveness, and by their nature there is almost no choice on the part of the designer, they're just a list of n

by jariel 7y ago

" API's don't have comments, they don't have expressiveness, and by their nature there is almost no choice on the part of the designer, they're just a list of names attached to functions" I don't know how anyone who's written code could even say this. APIs have comments, they are expressive, there is considerable choice in design and they are a 'list of names' the same as the list of names attached to variables.

hannasanarion 7y ago
APIs are not code. They are functional interfaces that code interacts with. The decision to have a function called `sqrt` and put it in a module called `math` is not creative, and it is definitely not artistic.
- jariel 7y ago
  "APIs are not code" - most APIs are literally part of the code. "The decision to have a function called `sqrt` and put it in a module called `math` is not creative, and it is definitely not artistic." Yes, it absolutely is, in the sense that literally any arbitrary sentence or gibberish that I write is creative and copyrightable. I can copyright: "Blahdy Blady Blady Blah" right now. API design is as creative as any other part of the code.
  - olliej 7y ago
    You can’t copyright that - precisely because it is not a significant creative work. The question is an API a significantly creative work, vs the implementation. Historically - because the entire modern world depends on it - APIs were not considered copyrightable, largely because the creativity is embodied by the implementation. You clearly disagree, I am curious if you believe being able to have competing software was detrimental - for example say MS claimed copyright over the XMLHttpRequest API? Or google over search engine query API, etc
  - hannasanarion 7y ago
    And colors are part of a painting. Do you believe that colors are copyrightable? Letters are part of a novel, do you think that authors have a copyright to the letters that they use?

by jariel 7y ago

hannasanarion 7y ago

APIs are not code. They are functional interfaces that code interacts with. The decision to have a function called `sqrt` and put it in a module called `math` is not creative, and it is definitely not artistic.

jariel 7y ago
"APIs are not code" - most APIs are literally part of the code. "The decision to have a function called `sqrt` and put it in a module called `math` is not creative, and it is definitely not artistic." Yes, it absolutely is, in the sense that literally any arbitrary sentence or gibberish that I write is creative and copyrightable. I can copyright: "Blahdy Blady Blady Blah" right now. API design is as creative as any other part of the code.
- olliej 7y ago
  You can’t copyright that - precisely because it is not a significant creative work. The question is an API a significantly creative work, vs the implementation. Historically - because the entire modern world depends on it - APIs were not considered copyrightable, largely because the creativity is embodied by the implementation. You clearly disagree, I am curious if you believe being able to have competing software was detrimental - for example say MS claimed copyright over the XMLHttpRequest API? Or google over search engine query API, etc
- hannasanarion 7y ago
  And colors are part of a painting. Do you believe that colors are copyrightable? Letters are part of a novel, do you think that authors have a copyright to the letters that they use?