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Note to hardware hackers: IFTTT almost certainly started with some musings about "wouldn't it be cool if I could make my household X trigger web API Y" and for

Note to hardware hackers: IFTTT almost certainly started with some musings about "wouldn't it be cool if I could make my household X trigger web API Y" and for many entrepreneurs would have led to a startup about smart gadgets. There have been many over the years. The very clever thing about IFTTT is they sat and cheaply began the process of building the web layer. I like it! WeMo is likely the first of many many gadgets and interfaces where they can accept links. Now they wait and see how quickly the China Ecosystem and the gadget makers like Belkin deliver lots of nice cheap easy trigger devices. BugLabs...Nest...Dropcam...LG Smart Refrigerators...Toyota Prius...

asmithmd1 14y ago
It would be more exciting if they had an API. I don't see any way to add channels - either a hardware one or a software one. You could use RSS but that is it. And I don't see any way to add an action. They could very easily add a "web hook" URL for a custom action. I get really annoyed when I see sites like this that anoint winners. They already have an API to work with outside sites but they just don't publish it
- johns 14y ago
  I started last week to work on the API. Stay tuned.
  - willwhitney 14y ago
    Exciting stuff! That seems like an interesting way to bring back in the hardware possibilities from the comment above - using an ifttt API in tandem with smart devices could eliminate a ton of work in developing automation. Also, what's ifttt like to work for so far?
    - johns 14y ago
      Very fun and small team of 8 with great vision. Starting the week before this redesign was a little hectic, but it was worth the effort. Only big things to come :)
  - willwhitney 14y ago
    Exciting stuff! That seems like an interesting way to bring back in the hardware possibilities from the comment above - using an ifttt API in tandem with smart devices could eliminate a ton of work in developing automation. Also, what's ifttt like to work for so far?
  - rexreed 14y ago
    Yes! If IFTTT offers an API for channels and triggers, then a whole world of enterprise software opportunities opens up. Sign me up!
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - olefoo 14y ago
    +1 on that. If you open it up so that j. random startup can announce "Hey, we provide trigger foo, trigger bar and action baz" in a way that doesn't require anything more than cursory human interaction on the IFTTT end of the transaction, you suddenly become the default aggregation point for new services... And may I say that having to worry about spammy APIs is kind of an awesome problem to have.
- vineet 14y ago
  > I get really annoyed when I see sites like this that anoint winners. They already have an API to work with outside sites but they just don't publish it It is much more important to get the experience right with one or two small specific cases first - and then to make it available to the larger public.
phant0ms 14y ago
Yeah- a lot of startups are born from people coming up with an idea to solve a common problem... or even just an idea for something that they think would be neat/amazing. Plus, they essentially are a user by default of a product/service they wanted for themselves in the first place. It's a great way to bring passion to the masses...

asmithmd1 14y ago

It would be more exciting if they had an API. I don't see any way to add channels - either a hardware one or a software one. You could use RSS but that is it. And I don't see any way to add an action. They could very easily add a "web hook" URL for a custom action. I get really annoyed when I see sites like this that anoint winners. They already have an API to work with outside sites but they just don't publish it

johns 14y ago
I started last week to work on the API. Stay tuned.
- willwhitney 14y ago
  Exciting stuff! That seems like an interesting way to bring back in the hardware possibilities from the comment above - using an ifttt API in tandem with smart devices could eliminate a ton of work in developing automation. Also, what's ifttt like to work for so far?
  - johns 14y ago
    Very fun and small team of 8 with great vision. Starting the week before this redesign was a little hectic, but it was worth the effort. Only big things to come :)
- willwhitney 14y ago
  Exciting stuff! That seems like an interesting way to bring back in the hardware possibilities from the comment above - using an ifttt API in tandem with smart devices could eliminate a ton of work in developing automation. Also, what's ifttt like to work for so far?
- rexreed 14y ago
  Yes! If IFTTT offers an API for channels and triggers, then a whole world of enterprise software opportunities opens up. Sign me up!
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- olefoo 14y ago
  +1 on that. If you open it up so that j. random startup can announce "Hey, we provide trigger foo, trigger bar and action baz" in a way that doesn't require anything more than cursory human interaction on the IFTTT end of the transaction, you suddenly become the default aggregation point for new services... And may I say that having to worry about spammy APIs is kind of an awesome problem to have.
vineet 14y ago
> I get really annoyed when I see sites like this that anoint winners. They already have an API to work with outside sites but they just don't publish it It is much more important to get the experience right with one or two small specific cases first - and then to make it available to the larger public.

phant0ms 14y ago

Yeah- a lot of startups are born from people coming up with an idea to solve a common problem... or even just an idea for something that they think would be neat/amazing. Plus, they essentially are a user by default of a product/service they wanted for themselves in the first place. It's a great way to bring passion to the masses...