Have a suggestion?

Click here to suggest a blog item.

Newsletters Archive

Catch up with DonationCoder by browsing our past newsletters, which collect the most interesting discussions on our site: here.

Editorial Integrity

DonationCoder does not accept paid promotions. We have a strict policy of not accepting gifts of any kind in exchange for placing content in our blogs or newsletters, or on our forum. The content and recommendations you see on our site reflect our genuine personal interests and nothing more.

Latest News

July 2, 2024
Server Migrations Coming

  • Donationcoder server migration is slowly proceeding, expect some hiccups as we get all our ducks in a row..

July 19, 2022
Software Update

Jan 3, 2022
Event Results

May 13, 2020
Software Updates

Mar 24, 2020
Mini Newsletter

Dec 30, 2019
Software Updates

Jan 22, 2020
Software Updates

Jan 12, 2020
Newsletter

Jan 3, 2020
Event Results

Jan 2, 2020
Software Updates

Dec 30, 2019
Software Updates

April 27, 2019
Software Updates

Feb 26, 2019
Software Updates

Feb 23, 2019
Software Updates

Feb 14, 2019
Software Updates

Jan 6, 2019
Event Results

Dec 2, 2018
Software Updates

Nov 13, 2018
Software Releases

July 30, 2018
Software Updates

June 24, 2018
Software Updates

June 6, 2018
Software Updates

Apr 2, 2018
Fundraiser Celebration

Apr 2, 2018
Software Updates

Feb 24, 2018
Software Updates

Jan 14, 2018
Major Site News

Jan 10, 2018
Event Results

Latest Forum Posts
May we recommend..
ghacks.net
ghacks.net image
Ghacks.net is a technology blog that started in 2005, around the same time that DonationCoder got started. Although it covers a diverse set of technology topics, it has been one of the reliably excellent blogs for discovering and keeping up to date on Microsoft Windows applications. Martin, who runs ghacks, has always taken a keen interest in the events and software we make here at DonationCoder, and we're proud to call ghacks a friend.

Read more…

Our daily Blog

This page spotlights the most interesting posts collected from our forum every day.

You are viewing a specific blog item. Click here to return to the main blog page.

How To Make Your Web Service More Developer Friendly

SNAG-00040.png
Not all API providers know how to make developers happy. In fact, although there are now over 1,100 web service APIs available, many of those API providers fail to really understand the needs and motivations of their (potential) developer community. For evidence of how developers can react to both well-run and badly-run API programs, look no further than a very insightful blog post from mashup developer Alexander Lucas on Making Your Webservice More Developer Friendly (Alex is the creator of Migratr a useful desktop mashup that uses APIs from 11 different web services in order to let you migrate photos between different online photo services).

In his detailed post he gives what’s clearly real-world, from-the-trenches feedback (and wit) from an experienced mashup developer on what works and what doesn’t..

    But it takes more than just publishing an API. You have to make your developers WANT to write stuff for your service. Make it easy and enjoyable for them, and remove as many roadblocks and speedbumps as you possibly can so that they can complete their brilliant idea before throwing up their hands in frustration, or slowly, quietly losing motivation amidst a sea of vicious bugs, counter-intuitive behavior and documentation that either looks like it was written by Hemingway or run through babelfish.

He then goes on to provide an on-the-money “checklist for being developer-friendly”:

http://blog.programm...-developer-friendly/

posted by app103 donate to app103
(permalink) (leave a comment)


Share on Facebook
submit to reddit