Need help with the API?

[Lustro]

Hi Nathan,

I would like to help you with the API if you can use a few extra
hands. I like Readernaut and the API is way too cool but I do
understand you may have other more important things on your mind so I
would like to help out instead of asking when it will be updated.

I'm especially interested in the book status and reading progress to
name a few so would you be willing to open up the code in a SVN or git
repository? I can send the code back to you and you decide what to do
with it, don't need any credit or copyright stuff.

Why? Well, I want to use the API and want to go forward so helping you
is helping myself.

Thanks!

[sketch22]

I've actually been working on a completely new version that will
hopefully replace the existing API soon. If I gave a date I'd be lying
but I'm hoping to get auth stuff ironed out this week.

[Lustro]

Cool, that's better news as I expected... but the offer still stands.
Feel free to ask help if you can use it.

[Lustro]

Hi Nathan,

How are thing going? Did you got the authentication up and running?

Cheers!

[Lustro]

Hi Nathan,

Me again. Can you tell us how the API work is evolving? Are you still
working on it? Are you planing to release it? Or do you still have a
lot of work and need a bit of help?

We are anxiously waiting for some news.

Thanks!

[Nathan Borror]

Yeah I've made a bit of progress, not as much as I would have liked
since we talked last. I'm more concerned with
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/07/amazon-killing-mobile-apps-that-use-its-data/
regarding mobile versions of Readernaut since we heavily rely on
Amazon's data. I'm going to do my best to get permission so we'll see.

Nathan

--
Nathan Borror
417-773-1029
http://www.playgroundblues.com

[Lustro]

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for the reply. I know how it feels to get requests from people
all the time about a something you are working on for free in your
spare time so I just wanted to say I appreciate your work and would be
very happy to help you write a few lines if that helps.

I read the TechCrunch post as well. Couldn't you switch to another
provider? Google Books has an API as well. I know, it's like the anti-
Readernaut thing so don't know how you feel about that. Will look if I
can find another provider.

Keep up te good work! :)

On Jul 27, 4:04 pm, Nathan Borror <nat...@playgroundblues.com> wrote:
> Yeah I've made a bit of progress, not as much as I would have liked

> since we talked last. I'm more concerned withhttp://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/07/amazon-killing-mobile-apps-that-...

[Nathan Borror]

Last time I looked at the Google Books API it was pretty limited to
previews and embedded content stuff. I'll check it out again and see
if they have a more properly structured data feed.

[Lustro]

Nathan,

I have been discussing the Amazon problem here with a few friends.

First and for all: why would you care? The Amazon mobile guidelines
have nothing to do with the API, have they? You provide an XML file,
what I (or someone else) do with this file is my responsability. When
I decide to use it for an application on a mobile device I void the
warranty, no? In my opinion you can just go ahead an state in your
terms of use that this or that function can not be used on a mobile
device due to Amazons terms.

You may not agree so there is a second way out of this. Why not drop
all the Amazon information you are unsure of? If you don't want to use
the book cover from Amazon... just don't do it. I'm looking forward to
the Readernaut API, not the Amazon one. It's up to me to find a
matching book cover if I want it in my mobile app and it's up to me to
find another provider in this case. The Readernaut API could only show
the data you own, no? The status (reading, finished, etc.) would help
us a great deal, that's Readernaut data and Amazon has nothing to do
with that.

Third remark: your are doing it now. I can use the book cover in my
app, through the Readernaut API. Why would you change it?

Just my 2 cents, hope you find a way around it as I love Readernaut
and it would be awesome to build fun stuff on top of it.

Regards.

[sketch22]

To be clear, I'm not taking anything away from the API I'm adding to
it because there are many uses for it :) The Amazon terms of service
attached to their data applies to any data acquired :( Hopefully
Amazon relaxes their mobile stance soon.