By way of Slashdot, I just read on O'Reilly Radar that Google is deprecating their SOAP Search API in favor of their AJAX API.  I've been using The Google API for some time on on one of my ColdFusion sites.    The beauty of their SOAP API is it enabled me to process the results server side, which is probably one of the reasons Google made the move, since Google is all about branding.  Evidently the TOS of the AJAX API is considerably more restrictive.

There doesn't appear to be a crossdomain.xml for the AJAX API, so Google's business decision is also bad news for Flash developers wishing to embed the search results since according to the FAQ, the AJAX Search API is the only permissible way to publish Google AJAX Search API results on your site.

Google's decision will end up being a boon for the current underdogs in the search world such as Yahoo and Live.  Yahoo has a REST API as well as a crossdomain.xml file in their API directory. and while MSN's Live Search doesn't have a crossdomain.xml, MSN does have a SOAP API. 

It's the result that matters, not how it was obtained.  While Google may have a larger index, both Yahoo and Live are comparable to Google in the top results returned.  Most web developers will choose the path that gives them the greatest creative choice.   I don't mind a small "Powered by" logo, but I do object to being forced into becoming a branded affiliate.

Microsoft is trying to tap into the social networking scene with the spin-off of Wallop, formerly one of Microsoft's research sandboxes.  The difference between MySpace and Wallop is that there will be no advertising on Wallop.  Wallop's business model will be based on the sale of  items that personalize the users space.  What will interest most developers is that these items will be coded in Flash.

But can Microsoft catch up?  MySpace has a huge lead with advertising and is fairly easy to use.  Second Life, another competitor in the social networking arena uses a similar business model, but provides a rich scriptable 3D world.  Even MMORPG's such as Blizzard's World of WarCraft vie for a piece of the social networking pie.   I think we're getting close to the point of there being no more new customers for social networking, just stealing existing customers away from the competitors.

I was reading the latest Forbes article "No Flash In the Pan" by Dan Frommer, which is peppered with references to Adobe, Apple, On2, as well as osFlash.org (though Dan only referenced the Red5 project) and noticed that all the reference links on the document only point to the Forbes site.  With all the mentions of other companies, you'd think that Forbes could at least provide a sub section of reference links.  They are perfectly willing to put in a stock ticker link that links to their stock lookup page, so its not just an issue of a print based media format being re-purposed for the web. 

Forbes/Dan Frommer, when you write about other sites, at least provide a link to those sites.  Sure we can Google it if we need to, but the whole purpose of hypertext was to make navigation easier for the user.  I'm sure you're reaping the rewards of page ranking when others link to your site, why not return the favor.  I suppose I probably went a bit overboard on linking for this article, but I wanted to prove my point.

Oh, and Forbes, if you're reading this, the MACR symbol is no longer valid.

Microsoft has implemented the Active-X patch in the final response to the Eolas patent and the work arounds do the job such as the flashobject solution.  The only downside is if JavaScript is disabled.  

Eolas isn't going to see another dime out of that patent.  All the major players (as in companies) will opt for different solutions and other than a little annoyance on the users part, the current Microsoft solution is an acceptable one.  So now that Eolas has caused an adverse effect on almost 90% of the web users (based on Internet Explorer penetration); the Internet Explorer user base still has the option of applying market pressure.  Choose your side and write! 

If you feel Microsoft should pony up more money and license it, then write them, or if you feel that Eolas patent was unjust and should surrender the patent or place it in the public domain, write Eolas.  I blogged about this earlier, which included Eolas's contact information. Just think how 500 million emails or other forms of contact could affect Eolas. 

Other links of Interest:

• The Free Software Foundation
• The Federal Trade Commission on Patent Reform.

I've been using Google Analytics for some time now and I've been impressed with the results.  It's a great resource for drilling down into how people visit your site.  The depth of knowledge available is extensive.  By drilling down into the data, I can tell from the vistors to my site that over 83 percent have Version 8 or higher (only about 17% have some version of 8.5) installed of the Flash Player, that over 54% are using FireFox and that 90% are Windows users.  It's super easy to install, you just sign up for the free service and place a little JavaScript on your page.