Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Programming Web Services

I've wondered when we would be able to program web services. Teqlo is a service that allows you to create scripts that automate workflow between web services. All the programming is done graphically, so there is no code. There's a good video intro to the service here. I haven't tried this yet, but I'll let you know how it goes.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Online Transaction Services

I have been too busy to blog recently, but enjoying twitter. It looks like Google has a service similar to twitter, but in the form of shared notebooks.

I ran across this blog post about Amazon's new FPS service. The post looks at the API for the service, and also discusses the broader implications for the service.

Other than those two issues, FPS is extremely robust. It allows you to create what looks like a very secure structure (called tokens) for giving permission to vendors to access your account. Tokens can be one-time use or multi-use, they can be a precise amount or more flexible. Basically, as the customer, you have full control over what the vendor is able to do with your money (how much and when they can take). All account activity is hosted by Amazon, you can go to your Amazon account at any time and see what transactions have taken place.
Vendors can set up payment systems with Paypal very rapidly, but this system appears to give vendors and customers more control and the ability to implement micropayments. As more of these infrastructure services come online, expect to see a new wave of services available on the Internet.