Linked by Adam S on Tue 7th Nov 2006 12:58 UTC
We are on the brink of a very exciting time. The buzzword-friendly "Web 2.0" is here, and it's most punctuated by three terms: social networking, AJAX, and RSS. Nothing about these things is inherently new - AJAX existed as an ActiveX control present in Microsoft's Outlook Web Access long ago, social networking has existed for some time via sites like Friendster, and RSS is just a style of XML, which has been floating around in mainstream tech circles for about 10 years. But Web 2.0 is here, like it or not. The question is, as use of these technologies begins to become more widespread, how are we going to shape these technologies, and who is going to make those decisions? 
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Member since:
2005-09-07
Like previous commentor, I see Web 2.0 / mashups as relying on standard APIs and coherent, long-lived hosted services.
Application X takes a type 1 feed from site Y which consolidates feeds from sites A, B, C,D using feed types 2,3,4 & 5v1.001.9beta. Applicaition Z overlays, via a propriarty method, geographical information on the output of X, which is used by estate agent site K, ad infitinum.
Any single change in information structure, APIs, applicaiton behaivour will kill a downstream application, or worse destroy the integrity of information provided to end-user.
Not to mention the legal minefield of who owns information and to what purposes licesnes allow, who is liable if a site goes down or owner goes bankrupt, etc.