open source

We started off with Facebook’s plan to open source the Facebook Platform. This is being characterized as a nearly inevitable response to OpenSocial. The claimed effect is to allow nearly any social network to become Facebook compatible, and to create a cross platform API for apps. Facebook will apparently opensource FBML, FQL, FJS, and the FB API.

The real question will be how is it licensed, who owns changes to the tools, and how is it administered.

Yesterday at the All Things D conference, Microsoft showed video of the new Windows Multi-touch interface. Unlike Apple’s multi-touch, it actually works on the screen — pinches, squeezes and so on on a tablet size device. We talked about whether it was as revolutionary as some people seemed to think, and how Apple might respond. And, we talked about the potential contradiction that was implied by Microsoft VP Steve Sinofsky’s tight lighted approach to Windows 7 communications.

A couple of people had installed the Nokia N95 V20 firmware update. People felt that it was faster, and had new features.

And finally, we chatted about the New York Times and their announcement of an API. The Times intent is to allow programmers to easily mash up the content with their applications. Nick Desbarats from Choicebot was on the line, and he was very clear that Choicebot would find the Times API valuable.