How an API Strategy can Create an Innovation Engine for Engineers and Scientists

[crelf]

I think that maturing API designs is a key concept in professional software engineering, and for one's knowledge to grow, it's an important topic to understand (no one masters it, but it's fun trying ). I think NI's done an above average job on promoting good API design (even way back when they launched the NI Instrument Driver Network), and it's paying off with well designed products flowing into the LabVIEW Tools Network.

Here's an interesting article on high level API strategies on API Evangelist to get you started - read it here.

[Daklu]

His concept of API seems to be a little different than mine. I think of an API as the public methods and data structures developers use to interact with an arbitrary component. It looks like he is using API as a synonym for web-based services intended to be used by developers. There is a lot of overlap, but much of his blog is focusing on the business aspect of web services rather than the technical side of creating a usable API.