开放API是新的开源

为什么80%的码农都做不了架构师？>>>

大概十年前，开源“足够好”——它给了当时的人们除了专有软件之外另一个可行的，通常成本更低、争端更少的解决方案。今天，所有的软件总体上都更加开放了，并且我相信我们已经到达了这样一个程度，非开源的软件已经“足够开放”。

我们亲历了开源软件在企业应用中和在IT界之外的崛起，但在高效利用云计算和支持服务已成第一要务的今日技术世界里，通往真正的开放及其优势的金钥匙，存在于开放的应用编程接口，或API之上。

开源软件继续成为系统开发、系统管理、IT运营等等的关键组成部分，但对现代云计算及基于服务的基础设施起杠杆作用的大部分活动，都聚焦于API。 开放API是新的开源。

开放源码，开放标准，开放云，并且特别是开放数据，继续充当着现代IT开放的支柱角色；但API已经快速扮演了同等甚至更为关键的角色。这是因为：许多初 入云计算基础设施、服务及实践建设的组织，很可能都在查询与调研开源软件；但它们很快发现，他们所处理的，更多的是API，不是源代码。顾客和提供商都表 示出了对开源和源码的兴趣，但他们很快发现API才是界面和集成更佳的入手点。

（更多内容，请见英文原文）

转载请注明：Linux人社区> 英文资讯翻译专版.编译

英文原文：
Open APIs Are the New Open Source

By Jay Lyman
LinuxInsider        
02/14/12 5:00 AM PT        

There was a time 10 years ago or so when open source was "good enough" -- that is, it served as a viable, often lower-cost, lower-hassle alternative to the proprietary software of the day. Today, all software is generally more open, and I believe we've reached a point when non-open source software is often "open enough."

We've seen the rise of open source software in the enterprise and also beyond the IT industry, but the real keys to openness and its advantages in today's technology world -- where efficient use of cloud computing and supporting services are paramount -- exist in open application programming interfaces, or APIs.

Open source software continues to be a critical part of software development, systems administration, IT operations and more, but much of the action in leveraging modern cloud computing and services-based infrastructures centers on APIs. Open APIs are the new open source.
Open source, open standards, open clouds, and particularly open data continue to serve as pillars of modern IT openness, but APIs have quickly emerged as equally if not more critical. Here's why: Many organizations may inquire or investigate open source software as they set about leveraging cloud computing infrastructure, services and practices, but they soon find that they are dealing much more with APIs than with source code. Both customers and providers indicate an initial interest in open source and source code, but they soon find the APIs to be the more appropriate point of interface and integration.

Open-API Buzz
Several other trends are playing into this shift -- which does not negate advantages of open source, but rather seems merely  to overshadow them in many instances today. Environments and strategies are defined by cloud computing, services and devops -- the confluence of application development and deployment via IT operations.
Devops is a driver of API importance, given it is often a common meeting place among both software developers and system administrators. Another trend driving open API significance is polyglot programming, whereby several different languages and frameworks, including Java, HTML5, node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Scala, Erlang and many other languages are the basis for applications, whether mobile, Web, enterprise, consumer or all of the above. Polyglot programming is also apparent in today's PaaS offerings, which continue to broaden their language support.
We also see services and architectures such as SOAP, REST and JSON contributing to an API-centric world, given they all hinge to some extent on API integration. Another trend that increases the importance of open APIs is the data deluge and so-called "big data," which marks an explosion in both the sources of data and technology for storage and management of it. Here, open source continues to play a significant role with open source MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, NoSQL databases, memcached, Hadoop, Cassandra and other technologies increasingly in the mix. Open data and open APIs for handling and managing data are also rising in prominence.
What's more, it seems open APIs are getting some of the same buzz and consideration from decision-makers that marked the rise of open source software a decade ago. When it comes down to what many large customers and users are trying to do, whether enterprises or service providers, open APIs are crucial.

'Open Enough'
There was a time 10 years ago or so when open source was "good enough" -- that is, it served as a viable, often lower-cost, lower-hassle alternative to the proprietary software of the day. Today, all software is generally more open, and I believe we've reached a point when non-open source software is often "open enough." The prime examples are cloud APIs from Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), which are neither open source nor open standards, necessarily, but are readily and widely available and tend to serve as the de facto standards of the day, including for open source plays on top, such as Eucalyptus. The fact is, Amazon Web Services APIs are open enough to facilitate the creation of integrations, connections and services despite the fact the underlying code is not open source.
Connections to open source continue to be critical, and it appears open source code has become a standard expectation among customers, many of whom are finding out that openness in APIs is just as important. This is also happening as we see the drivers of open source software shift from cost savings and flexibility innovation, performance and ROI. It turns out that, indeed, openness matters -- and the growing significance of and respect for open APIs also serve as further validation of open source software methodology.   

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