+ATXTracker Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 About the time that OpenCaching announced its free lifestyle, Groundspeak also announced they would be releasing APIs in some unexplained and limited manner in Jan. of 2011. There was a follow-up note in the suggestion forums about some March roll out to certain developers. Now it is Almost May and I have yet to see much follow through on the APIs. I'm very excited to see there is a bullet listed on the announcement tread for the upcoming May 4th launch (http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=273130) of "All API". I have no idea to what this is referring, but it sounds API related. Does anyone have some scoop on the fabled APIs? Quote Link to comment
+ATXTracker Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Correction: "All APIS" is listed in the items that will be down during the upgrade, not in a list of what is being released. That implies there are APIs out there that someone is using. Does anyone know who is allowed to use the APIs and how someone can sign up to be a developer? Quote Link to comment
+AndrewRJ Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 About the time that OpenCaching announced its free lifestyle, Groundspeak also announced they would be releasing APIs in some unexplained and limited manner in Jan. of 2011. There was a follow-up note in the suggestion forums about some March roll out to certain developers. Now it is Almost May and I have yet to see much follow through on the APIs. I'm very excited to see there is a bullet listed on the announcement tread for the upcoming May 4th launch (http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=273130) of "All API". I have no idea to what this is referring, but it sounds API related. Does anyone have some scoop on the fabled APIs? Its not really fabled, Goundspeak has already released the API to "trusted partners" who are developing it as a beta. I was recently told offhand by a lackey that a well known app has now partnered with Groundspeak and is using the API. Quote Link to comment
jholly Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Didn't or does Trimble use an API for its program? Jeremy has acknowledged a couple years ago an API does exist and a reference page was available to the masses but pulled after it's existence became known. He also stated at that time the API would not be available, ever. I assumed bullet you mentioned referenced the Trimble API. There is an API being developed for the masses but when it will be available is unknown. I doubt the downtime is a factor on that API since it is not available for general use. Quote Link to comment
+Indotguy Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It's about time! By the way, what the heck is an "API"? Quote Link to comment
jholly Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It's about time! By the way, what the heck is an "API"? API Quote Link to comment
+webscouter. Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I've heard rumors of the API being in use by a trusted partner from an impeccable source. One that I am very anxious to see in use. Quote Link to comment
+AndrewRJ Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I've heard rumors of the API being in use by a trusted partner from an impeccable source. One that I am very anxious to see in use. The implication that I understood, I may have misunderstood, was that for the application I was speaking of the API is already in use. Of course I may have totally misunderstood, it has been known to happen. Quote Link to comment
sviking Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It's about time! By the way, what the heck is an "API"? Aviation Preflight Indoctrination? Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I've heard rumors of the API being in use by a trusted partner from an impeccable source. One that I am very anxious to see in use. Why not just say what's up?! Quote Link to comment
+AndrewRJ Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I've heard rumors of the API being in use by a trusted partner from an impeccable source. One that I am very anxious to see in use. Why not just say what's up?! Probably for the same reason I didn't. Discussions among friends about events in their lives, may not mean that they intended the information to be public. I can however explain that the process is moving forward without breaking an unspoken agreement of confidentiality when things like that are discussed. Or he may just enjoy being vague. YMMV Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I thought it was well understood that a few trusted partners have been using an API for several years. The idea was that a fully public API is being released soon. Quote Link to comment
+webscouter. Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I didn't mention the application because I am not part of the beta team and have not been given permission to talk about it. I would guess that the beta team users cannot talk about it either. For what it is worth I saw a working model of the Garmin Colorado almost a year before it came out. Didn't talk about that one either. Quote Link to comment
sviking Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is this anything I'm going to want (or even be able to use) on a 60CSx? Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I didn't mention the application because I am not part of the beta team and have not been given permission to talk about it. I would guess that the beta team users cannot talk about it either. For what it is worth I saw a working model of the Garmin Colorado almost a year before it came out. Didn't talk about that one either. Its geocaching not national security. Just saying. Quote Link to comment
sviking Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Its geocaching not national security. Just saying. Guess you never heard of people wanting to protect their intellectual property, either, huh? Quote Link to comment
+New Jersey TJ Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is this anything I'm going to want (or even be able to use) on a 60CSx? Not directly. An API is a set of "stuff" that the developer of a computer program uses in the design of the program. In the long run, GS making the API available to developers should result in the development of better Geocaching apps. Quote Link to comment
jholly Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is this anything I'm going to want (or even be able to use) on a 60CSx? Not directly. An API is a set of "stuff" that the developer of a computer program uses in the design of the program. In the long run, GS making the API available to developers should result in the development of better Geocaching apps. They will also be available through GSAK which means there will be improved and probably some cool macros. Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Its geocaching not national security. Just saying. Guess you never heard of people wanting to protect their intellectual property, either, huh? By talking about it? That literally makes no sense. Quote Link to comment
+Dgwphotos Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Its geocaching not national security. Just saying. Guess you never heard of people wanting to protect their intellectual property, either, huh? By talking about it? That literally makes no sense. Loose lips sink ships. Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Its geocaching not national security. Just saying. Guess you never heard of people wanting to protect their intellectual property, either, huh? By talking about it? That literally makes no sense. Loose lips sink ships. Alright! I can't compete with old timey rhyming! Quote Link to comment
sviking Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Loose lips sink ships. Exactly... OPSEC Quote Link to comment
sviking Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 By talking about it? That literally makes no sense. Well, if people start talking about it and the very idea/concept gets out, others can copy it before it can be protected and/or released. Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 By talking about it? That literally makes no sense. Well, if people start talking about it and the very idea/concept gets out, others can copy it before it can be protected and/or released. In this particular case, that wouldn't apply. It's not like the idea/concept hasn't been around for ages -- just that gc.com choose not to release the specification. Talking about the existence of a thing doesn't make it available for "copying" - else it would have already happened. That's not to say that I'm surprised that someone hasn't sniffed a Trimble app (they have had access to the gc.com API for 4 years or more, haven't they?) and sorted it out already, but the existence of the Geocache Navigator application wasn't a secret, either. Quote Link to comment
robertlipe Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Apparently, this particular ship is hard to get a ticket to. Quote Link to comment
+northernpenguin Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Apparently, this particular ship is hard to get a ticket to. I have seen a third party, well known smartphone app running a beta of the API. Same as the others, I have not been given explicit permission to talk about it so I won't name it. But it does exist, and the API is being used by someone who does not work for Trimble or Groundspeak....... Quote Link to comment
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