The company seeks closer ties to developers by launching APIs into its search technology and unveiling a developer community site.NEW YORK—Yahoo wants developers to know that its search engine welcomes them.
The company on Tuesday is launching a comprehensive developers program for its search technology during the Search Engine Strategies 2005 Conference & Expo here.
Called the Yahoo Search Developer Network, the program provides access to Yahoo's Web search engine, its four vertical search services, such as Yahoo News, and its technology for checking spelling and recommending related searches.
Yahoo also rolled the developer API (application programming interface) from its Overture Services division into the program.
"This is a recognition that search is going from a consumer application to a broad platform on the Web," said Eckart Walther, Yahoo's director of product development. "Search is becoming the file system of the Internet."
Yahoo's developer announcement is scheduled to coincide with a keynote presentation from Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, who is opening the second day of the four-day conference.
Yahoo isn't the first search engine to open developer access. Google Inc. offers the Google Web APIs for its Web search engine and last month opened its AdWords advertising system to developers.
But Walther said he expects Yahoo's APIs for its spell checker and related search technology to stand out from its competitors' developer programs.
Read the full story on eWEEK.com: Yahoo Opens Search Developer Program
