Just a few more comments ... > Google's Web API is free, supplied as an experiment and to promote goodwill. > But the Web service actually undermines Google's business model (collecting > revenues from advertising), since the API users don't see ads.
Hmm, but Google WS does require registration and does not allow you to put up a commercial search service using it. If you want to use it commercially, you have to work out a deal with them -- and pay them more than the ads rate, I suppose. :) > Amazon's Web API is not available to the general public. It's designed for > B2B business relationships. It allows Amazon's affiliates to use Amazon's > catalog to sell Amazon merchandise through their own Web sites. I found Amazon's most useful web API is its XML API not the SOAP interface. :) > Microsoft provides the MapPoint Web service, which provides a Web API to > MapQuest. MapPoint.NET has a very complex SOAP interface. It does not work with Axis out-of-the-box because it requires HTTP DIGEST AUTH. You have to hack the HTTP transport class a little bit to make it work. Again, MP.NET provides a 45-day trial. After that, you need to pay big $$$. It is oriented toward corporate customers who do a lot of Geo-encoding. cheers Michael ----------------------------------------------------------- Read Michael Yuan's technology articles http://www.enterprisej2me.com/articles.php Dr. Dobbs Journal, JavaWorld, IBM developerWorks and more ... -----------------------------------------------------------
