[jxn]

Read/Write API or it didn't happen. There was a time a few years ago when I thought companies were moving in the direction of ensuring their products could be extended through APIs first and foremost and launching those APIs a the time of product launches, but either I dreamed it or that time seems passed.

Is there some kind of organization out there whose mission is (at least partly) to pressure companies into providing data import/export and full access API's to prevent lock-in, data loss and such?

[blantonl]

Since when was there an obligation to provide an API for every new platform release?

Frankly, I get the sense that a lot of people want an API so they can build their own little businesses on top of someone else's good idea, only to feel shafted when the originator of that good idea goes in a different direction.

[jxn]

I guess I've been burned enough by drastic application/feature reworks, policy changes, and product shutdowns that I'm extremely wary of any new product that doesn't offer a publicly documented programmatic option for getting data in and out (and preferably basic interaction). Maybe my experience is unusual, but I can't believe it that more people aren't clamoring for APIs or at least data export options from their services before wasting time getting tied to them.