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I think that is right. A public API radically slows down product iteration since each feature needs to be considered in terms of its blast radius to third party

• SamoyedFurFluff 4y ago
  This could’ve been communicated
  • gfodor 4y ago
    Agree, really bad it wasn’t
• sosodev 4y ago
  That's not really true. Many websites version their API and/or release new features without providing support (at least initially) via the API. That's the route Reddit has taken. There are several features that only work through the official app or website. It can be frustrating as a user of a third party client but it's a much better alternative to cutting everybody off.
  • ssnistfajen 4y ago
    Twitter sets a dangerous precedent on API policy although this hasn't been their first time doing so (https://nordicapis.com/twitter-10-year-struggle-with-developer-relations/ https://nordicapis.com/twitter-10-year-struggle-with-develop...) With feature iteration at Reddit accelerating since 2019, they may opt to do the same eventually should a desperate squeeze of user metrics/ad revenue becomes necessary down the road. Public APIs helped Reddit rapidly grow its userbase on a lean crew. It'd be a shame to see that goodwill being burned in the never-ending chase for quarterly performance results.
  • gfodor 4y ago
    What I said is definitely true - supporting that old version isn’t free - it needs to be maintained and all new features need to not inadvertently break it. I’m not saying this was necessarily a good move, but the upside to killing an API is you are able to cut any need to support any of it, including old versions.
    • Klonoar 4y ago
      The APIs for Twitter that they're cutting off aren't being cut off for other uses, though. This clearly isn't a maintenance issue.
      • gfodor 4y ago
        I can't parse what you wrote - shutting down any API relieves some maintenence burden.
        • abraham 4y ago
          No APIs have been shut down. Specific apps competing with the Twitter mobile apps have had their access banned.
          • Klonoar 4y ago
            Thank you.
  • WoodenChair 4y ago
    How many people use third-party Reddit clients versus using third-party Twitter clients as a percentage of total users on each site? (I don't know—not a rhetorical)
    • maxfurman 4y ago
      3rd party clients were the only usable mobile clients for quite a while. Reddit acquired one of them and has been pushing it but AFAICT as a Reddit Sync user nothing has changed. I imagine they are still pretty popular.
• jupp0r 4y ago
  The public API is still there and not going anywhere. Twitter is getting the worst of both worlds.
• ttepasse 4y ago
  In the last seven years Twitter already did not expose features like polls with their public API. Still, even with a less capable API many preferred the experience of 3rd party clients.
• latexr 4y ago
  While in general that may make sense, in the specifics of Twitter it’s just another unnecessary bad decision in a chain of unnecessary bad decisions. The biggest issue isn’t what they’ve done but how they did it: dismissively, without warning, justified days later with a flimsy provably false excuse. > A public API radically slows down product iteration since each feature needs to be considered in terms of its blast radius to third party clients. Twitter’s public API was already lacking. There are several features, like polls, third-party clients never had access to. No one would be surprised if the API remained static forever. > killing the API to speed up product velocity isn’t an insane move if you value that more than the existing 3rd party ecosystem. The API wasn’t completely disabled, it’s still working for smaller clients.