I rarely post “me too” postings . . .

But I feel it is important to circulate this well written piece from Alpie.net. Of course, regular readers will recognize it as one of my favorite tropes, although I usually phrase it differently. Being a citizen rather than a “consumer” means making the jump from bitching about reality to trying to change it. Yes, God knows we’re all busy, trying to make ends meet, raise families, etc. etc. But, like getting enough exercise, making sure the kids do their homework, eating a balanced diet, etc., it’s something that you either make time for because you think it’s important or suffer the consequences.

Stay tuned . . .

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One Comment

John
June 27, 2007 at 9:42 pm

As I read the piece you linked to, I nowhere saw a definition of “API”. (It may be there, but I didn’t see it. . .). So, for the unitiated: API stand for something like Application Program Interface (which is a misnomer, since it applies to system programs as well as applications).

APIs refers to the handshake conventions between programs; the rules by which intentions and responses are communicated. For analogy, the API of an automobile (in the USA) might be described as: gas pedal on right, brake on left, clutch (optional) to left of brake; turn signal on left side of steering wheel: up = = right; down == left, etc. (The brake pedal communicates to the driver by its resistance, and also by slowing down the car.) The well-understood API allows different manufacturers to produce cars that people will know how to drive, and it allows people to get behind the wheel of an unfamiliar car and figure out how to drive it.

As a minor aside, I think it’s amusing that software developers often have no notion at all of what the letters API stand for. We just say “A-pee-eye”. I’ve been writing about APIs for 27 years or so, and I really don’t recall what the letters originally stand for. An API is an API. (Which is very closely related to the concept of a “signature”, but I won’t go into that, lest I re-ignite a long ago struggle from a far away galaxy in which I was the boss of wetmachiner Howard Stearns and he was writing a very abstract language reference manual. . .

Glad I met the man. We’re both glad I’m no longer his boss. . .

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