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This is a very selective API oriented transcript fragment of Jeffs Code Camp Video Interview:

Purpose

Please note that this transcript fragment is mainly a supporting post to decrease the length of Could/Should the API evolve more agile rather than being blocked by v2 writing (and authentication) features? and as such only intended as an orientation for those inclined to view the original quote and not necessarily accurate/precise regarding wording/phrasing! Feel free to correct/amend things, but please keep this intention in mind, thanks!

Legend

Topic: mobile site

  • JA (19:00): I'm kinda torn on this [...] it splits your effort

  • JA (20:04): on Stack Overflow it's not the primary goal to be a mobile site

Topic: Stack Apps API

  • JA (20:16): [...] read only [...] very hard problem with content coming from an API [...] we are not trying to solve that

  • MH (20:40): Why is that hard, to allow to posting content?

    • JA (20:44): [...] duplicate handling [...] hints [...] none of that would be visible from an API [...] that's probably the main concern, and then there are rate limiting issues and [...]

    • JA (21:14): Another argument of splitting effort, rather than having content coming in on just one pipe, where we can apply the same rules to, now we have this other pipe [...]

  • MH (21:24): You don't want to take away the value that's part of the UI?

    • JA (21:28): Yeah, the UI is helping [...] there's a lot of ambient information present on the website, how would that even be presented in an external app we can't control? I'm fine with reading [...] but one of the quickest way to ruin a Q&A system is to flood it with bad questions - now I'm not sayin having a write API would cause that, but anything that risks that is a very very serious risk.
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    Hmmh, where did the community wiki checkbox go? This one should have been, but the box is missing here and on MSO for me as well, though not on SO, has this changed somehow? Hints anyone? Nov 25, 2010 at 14:06
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    Okay, found it myself, this has been changed indeed, see Jeffs answer to Should the community wiki police be shut down?. Nov 25, 2010 at 14:16
  • I seriously hope that this means they're still looking for a worthwhile way to implement write support. Nov 25, 2010 at 23:18
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    @George - I wouldn't hold my breath: The SE team has changed their minds on a couple of topics by 180° more than once already without any upfront warnings/signs, and this is Jeff expressing serious doubts out in the open even ... Mind you, this doesn't necessarily rule out authentication in general for things like inbox access, but once writing would be off the table they might as well skip this major effort entirely, I'm afraid. Every recent major change has been towards more control over community/process/sites I think, just sayin ... Nov 26, 2010 at 12:00
  • @Steffen: This doesn't make the future of StackMobile too sure :( Nov 26, 2010 at 17:50
  • @George - I can definitely imagine how you feel: I have put quite some time and effort into prototyping and communication myself already (even though nothing has surfaced so far), but you and others have put even more dedication into your application and libraries, obviously (and naturally) in good faith that the API will cover what the platform has to offer and evolve with it accordingly. It would be extremely sad to see things move into the opposite direction and I certainly hope to be proven wrong here - only time will tell, I'm afraid, though that alone is quite telling actually ... Nov 26, 2010 at 20:21
  • @Steffen: Well put. Well, most of my apps have hit the roof of their potential with a read-only API, so it looks like StackApp's entire future depends on this. Otherwise, I see StackApps becoming a ghost town. Nov 26, 2010 at 20:28

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