I find an API that you aren't allowed to share client code for to be
pretty much useless. If I'm a part of any evaluation committees
evaluating software purchases, I will certainly make that opinion known
and justify why I think it's justified.

My institution is not currently a SerSol customer for any products with
APIs. (Although we are a customer of a product that eventually
theoretically will have an API).  I think existing SerSol customers
should complain to SerSol about this.

Hey, I might as well write a blog post explaining why an API you aren't
allowed to share code for is practically useless...
http://bibwild.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/api_license_useless/

There you go.

Jonathan

Ross Singer wrote:
> This is ironic given that their API is "standards based".
>
> http://www.serialssolutions.com/ss_360_link_features.html
>
> What, exactly, are vendors worried about when they hide their API behind an NDA?
>
> Even more disturbing, why bother advertising your API at all if a
> community can't be built to create innovative new ideas around it?
>
> It's a wonder why libraries put up with any of this.
>
> -Ross.
>
> On Fri, Apr 4, 2008 at 12:19 PM, Yitzchak Schaffer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Yitzchak Schaffer wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> Assuming that Serials Solutions will
>>> allow some kind of sharing for these - they make clients sign a NDA
>>> before they show you the docs.  I'm waiting to hear their response; I
>>> would be surprised if they wouldn't allow sharing of something like this
>>> among clients.
>>>
>>>
>>  D'oh: here's the lowdown from SerSol:
>>
>>  "The terms of the NDA do not allow for client signatories to share of
>>  any information related to the proprietary nature of our API's with
>>  other clients. However, if you would like to share them with us we can
>>  make them available to other API clients upon request. I think down the
>>  road we may be able to come up with creative ways to do this - perhaps
>>  an API user's group, but for now we cannot allow sharing of this kind of
>>  information outside of your institution."
>>
>>
>>
>>  --
>>  Yitzchak Schaffer
>>  Systems Librarian
>>  Touro College Libraries
>>  33 West 23rd Street
>>  New York, NY 10010
>>  Tel (212) 463-0400 x230
>>  Fax (212) 627-3197
>>  [log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>
>

--
Jonathan Rochkind
Digital Services Software Engineer
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
410.516.8886
rochkind (at) jhu.edu