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Reader didn't have a documented API, and the differences between it and this only begin there. Move on.

by yanw 14y ago

jerhinesmith 14y ago
I'm not the OP, but I don't think he was necessarily talking about the Google Reader API (rather just the service). If you're getting hung up on documented/undocumented APIs, pick any one of the deprecated examples from this list (http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2011/05/spring-cleaning-for-some-of-our-apis.html http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2011/05/spring-cleaning-for-s...) and substitute it in for Google Reader.
- polskibus 14y ago
  I was talking about the service, it doesn't really matter for the user if it's in a form of API or not. I do "PAY" google with my wasted brainpower when I see ads they serve (adblock possibility aside). Seriously though, there's nothing free but it works both ways, it's only fair and long lasting when both sides treat the arrangement as a contract.
  - tomkarlo 14y ago
    How is that arrangement a contract? If you came to Starbucks every morning and bought a cup of coffee, would you consider that to be creating some kind of contract with them?
- yanw 14y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5403668 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5403668
anon1385 14y ago
Oh so Google never cans a free service that has an official documented API? Google Translate? Google Search API? >Move on. Yes, let's just forget about all the stuff Google does that sucks and pretend it never happened.
- capo 14y ago
  I doubt anything will change your opinions about Google: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=anon1385 https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=anon1385 https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=anon1385 https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=anon1385 Carry on, I guess.
  - anon1385 14y ago
    Yes I'm not a huge fan of Google, what is your point? They are a for profit corporation, so I'm not sure why I'm obliged to like them. There has been a lot of Google news the last week, and loads of submissions on HN, so I've made quite a few posts on them. That is hardly comparable to having an account for a year or more but only ever posting in stories about a single corporation to defend that corporation. I don't know why you linked my submissions, only 4 out of the last 30 of them, going back ~560 days were about Google or Google products.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - baddox 14y ago
      I don't think anyone is saying that you're obligated to like them. The problem they have is probably with your tone, which suggests that Google is obligated to literally never, ever shut down any product they experiment with.
  - taligent 14y ago
    In what way does any of that invalidate his point ?
    - riquito 14y ago
      Both of the api are still available. Translate is the same as before but you must pay for it, google web search has been replaced by google custom search and you must pay for it. His point is that things must never change?
jfoster 14y ago
But Google has retired quite a few APIs before. Search API, CalDAV, Google Base Data API, Social Graph API, Translate API, and the list goes on. Google Docs looks like it has a healthy future, but they very easily could decide they don't want the API out there. Particularly with Google's newfound lack of fear of pissing people off.
- yanw 14y ago
  Nothing lasts forever and I obviously can't guarantee you anything on Google's behalf, but the difference here being APIs and products launched before Larry Page became CEO and those launching after.
  - RyanZAG 14y ago
    That's not really a great difference though. Couple years time and Larry will be doing other things or working on some newer, more interesting problems. I don't see this API surviving more than a couple years considering the speed that Google Docs/Drive continues to change.
    - yanw 14y ago
      Any change to this API in a couple of years will be the introduction of v2. Drive is now a pillar of Google's services, not just Apps but Google Now and search rely on data stored in it, and with many competing storage services around any differentiating feature is worth having.
    - Shooti 14y ago
      The difference is Drive is a flagship "L-team" product, so it's pretty much on equal standing to Google+ in terms of priority. When Larry Page took the helm he created 7 core focus areas + accompanying SVP's (A nice summary: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/03/google-larry-page/ http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/03/google-larry-page/). Last weeks reshuffle which had the Maps and Commerce units absorbed into the Knowledge and Ads units respectively and Pichai taking over Android brings it down to 5 focus areas: SVP of Knowledge/Search — Alan Eustace, SVP of Identity/Social — Vic Gundotra, SVP of Advertising and Commerce — Susan Wojcicki, SVP of YouTube/Video — Salar Kamangar, SVP of Android, Chrome and Google Apps — Sundar Pichai The key distinction between Drive and Reader is that Drive is pretty much the embodiment of Google Apps itself, whereas Reader was an orphaned product which didn't have a home in any of these 5 post-Page areas.

Reader didn't have a documented API, and the differences between it and this only begin there. Move on.

by yanw 14y ago

Reader didn't have a documented API, and the differences between it and this only begin there. Move on.

I'm not the OP, but I don't think he was necessarily talking about the Google Reader API (rather just the service). If you're getting hung up on documented/undocumented APIs, pick any one of the deprecated examples from this list (http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2011/05/spring-cleaning-for-some-of-our-apis.html http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2011/05/spring-cleaning-for-s...) and substitute it in for Google Reader.

polskibus 14y ago
I was talking about the service, it doesn't really matter for the user if it's in a form of API or not. I do "PAY" google with my wasted brainpower when I see ads they serve (adblock possibility aside). Seriously though, there's nothing free but it works both ways, it's only fair and long lasting when both sides treat the arrangement as a contract.
- tomkarlo 14y ago
  How is that arrangement a contract? If you came to Starbucks every morning and bought a cup of coffee, would you consider that to be creating some kind of contract with them?
yanw 14y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5403668 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5403668

anon1385 14y ago

Oh so Google never cans a free service that has an official documented API? Google Translate? Google Search API? >Move on. Yes, let's just forget about all the stuff Google does that sucks and pretend it never happened.

capo 14y ago
I doubt anything will change your opinions about Google: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=anon1385 https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=anon1385 https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=anon1385 https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=anon1385 Carry on, I guess.
- anon1385 14y ago
  Yes I'm not a huge fan of Google, what is your point? They are a for profit corporation, so I'm not sure why I'm obliged to like them. There has been a lot of Google news the last week, and loads of submissions on HN, so I've made quite a few posts on them. That is hardly comparable to having an account for a year or more but only ever posting in stories about a single corporation to defend that corporation. I don't know why you linked my submissions, only 4 out of the last 30 of them, going back ~560 days were about Google or Google products.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - baddox 14y ago
    I don't think anyone is saying that you're obligated to like them. The problem they have is probably with your tone, which suggests that Google is obligated to literally never, ever shut down any product they experiment with.
- taligent 14y ago
  In what way does any of that invalidate his point ?
  - riquito 14y ago
    Both of the api are still available. Translate is the same as before but you must pay for it, google web search has been replaced by google custom search and you must pay for it. His point is that things must never change?

jfoster 14y ago

But Google has retired quite a few APIs before. Search API, CalDAV, Google Base Data API, Social Graph API, Translate API, and the list goes on. Google Docs looks like it has a healthy future, but they very easily could decide they don't want the API out there. Particularly with Google's newfound lack of fear of pissing people off.

yanw 14y ago
Nothing lasts forever and I obviously can't guarantee you anything on Google's behalf, but the difference here being APIs and products launched before Larry Page became CEO and those launching after.
- RyanZAG 14y ago
  That's not really a great difference though. Couple years time and Larry will be doing other things or working on some newer, more interesting problems. I don't see this API surviving more than a couple years considering the speed that Google Docs/Drive continues to change.
  - yanw 14y ago
    Any change to this API in a couple of years will be the introduction of v2. Drive is now a pillar of Google's services, not just Apps but Google Now and search rely on data stored in it, and with many competing storage services around any differentiating feature is worth having.
  - Shooti 14y ago
    The difference is Drive is a flagship "L-team" product, so it's pretty much on equal standing to Google+ in terms of priority. When Larry Page took the helm he created 7 core focus areas + accompanying SVP's (A nice summary: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/03/google-larry-page/ http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/03/google-larry-page/). Last weeks reshuffle which had the Maps and Commerce units absorbed into the Knowledge and Ads units respectively and Pichai taking over Android brings it down to 5 focus areas: SVP of Knowledge/Search — Alan Eustace, SVP of Identity/Social — Vic Gundotra, SVP of Advertising and Commerce — Susan Wojcicki, SVP of YouTube/Video — Salar Kamangar, SVP of Android, Chrome and Google Apps — Sundar Pichai The key distinction between Drive and Reader is that Drive is pretty much the embodiment of Google Apps itself, whereas Reader was an orphaned product which didn't have a home in any of these 5 post-Page areas.