As to making this API business easier

My favorite acronym for a great deal of time has been "API". It was one of the only things that made me feel better to hear after the past 5 years hearing overly-used terms such as AI (as in not so), SEC (as in investigation), and IPO (as in not currently planned). API said to me, "We're going to make this easier for you. We're going to get this software into your hands and continue the growth of the information age." And engineering managers prided themselves on having one if they were tuned in to the sales and distribution goals of their respective companies. Here is an example of the Google Maps API:


There are hundreds, if not thousands of APIs, written. Yet not that many are used. Why? Several reasons, and one being that engineering teams need to stay on bug fixes and developing new features to meet competitive demand. But I hear Oren Michels is working on serving that very problem. His new company, addressing the rush of Web 2.0 services, is called Mashery.

I ran into Mr. Michels at last week's techcrunch / August Capital party and he told me a bit about this professional services company aiming to help companies distribute and integrate APIs.

So, API remains my favorite acronym.

Thanks, Oren. Your timing looks good and your target looks spot on. Looking forward to Mashery's non-stealth status.

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