The fact that the API has total_upvotes
and total_downvotes
makes the fact that you need 1000 rep on the sites a bit weird. Are there more things that the API knows by default, which you can only acquire by looking at the standard page by having some reputation?
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1I just knew someone would ask this eventually.– Nathan OsmanCommented Jun 5, 2010 at 17:38
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but don't you need those in the API to calculate the total votes?– Jonathan.Commented Jun 5, 2010 at 19:11
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no, api has a "score", which is the total votes count– SztupYCommented Jun 5, 2010 at 20:21
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Sure, it's a bit weird, but I think it should remain this way. If a <1000 rep user wants the info, they'll have to use the API.– Maxim ZaslavskyCommented Jun 5, 2010 at 23:02
3 Answers
v1 of the API lacks user auth, so such restrictions are unenforceable.
We'd have to deny it to everyone (and arguably, a large percentage of the end-users of the API are going to be over that rep limit) which, to me, would be kind of overkill.
Checking the reputation rights list it seems that the reduced advertising (well, technically the API could have put ad links into the result) is the only thing besides the updown count where the API is "better".
Actually, there is timeline for any users, that can see up/down votes as well.