Yahoo Y!OS strategy signals change in Software Development
I attended Web2.0 Expo last week in San Francisoco, and the thing that really struck me was the Yahoo Y!OS strategy. A bit of a blend of the Opensocial strategy combined with Google App engine, combined with widget development in general. I walked away convinced more than ever that we are seeing a startling shift in software development. Four or five years ago, we talked about developing on top of other “Platforms” and meant JBoss, BEA app server, MS .NET, Sharepoint, Plumtree server, Oracle Portal etc. Now, when we talk about developing on platforms we talk about Facebook platform, OpenSocial, Google App Engine, and Y!OS.
Changes:
- Creation of Community: Previously to get your software/application out you either created the community, or sold it as a “Plug-in”. Now you can leverage other’s communities.
- Scalability: Google App Engine, and now Y!OS help you scale up and out.
- Pages vs features: No longer are you creating a full application, but maybe a portion of a page, a feature instead of an app.
Articles about Y!OS
I really think this challenges software developers to have a much broader understanding of the ecosystem out there, the platform upon which to build which includes Y!OS type strategies. Starting to see the value you add to your customer, and realize what you need to write vs what you can leverage. Examples of this are comment systems such as Disqus, as well as feedback systems such as Get Satisfaction. Now, these applications seem first to be targeting the public consumer space, but I guess will migrate to be able to be more private.
Previously software developers needed to keep on top of the newest code level components such as ORM tools, caching tools, unit testing tools, etc. Now however, they need to add to the tools the services and platforms such as Google App Engine, Widget services, Y!OS and servers such as the Disqus and Get Satisfaction.
