GeneralGoogle creates network of social networkers

Google has launched an open set of application programming interfaces (APIs) for the social networking sector, a move that has been interpreted by some as a shot across the bows of its rival Facebook.

Google has launched an open set of application programming interfaces (APIs) for the social networking sector, a move that has been interpreted by some as a shot across the bows of its rival Facebook. OpenSocial, a set of APIs that lets third-party developers build applications with minimal modification, has galvanised support from popular social networking websites such as Bebo, LinkedIn and Friendster. Even business sites salesforce.com and Oracle have pledged to join. Google's own Orkut social networking site and customisable home page, iGoogle, are naturally expected to adopt OpenSocial. Third party applications will provide a massive boost to the social networking sector, argued Ovum analyst David Bradshaw. "Users enjoy more functionality, while website owners get more visitors, meaning advertising revenue." Application owners can gain revenues in several ways, predicted Bradshaw, primarily through ads placed in their application. Facebook pioneered this use of third-party applications on its site, and analysts judged this as an astute move and an instant success. But the insistence on proprietary APIs could prove... [ Read more on www.computerweekly.com ]

GeneralGoogle to Announce Mobile Platform on Monday

The ambitious mobile application development platform includes an OS, APIs, IM, and mobile browser.

GeneralMozilla Offers Stability Update to Firefox

It doesn't include planned Leopard enhancements, but Firefox developers have released an update to their open-source software.