Yahoo Seeks Geek Credibility

[engine]

Yahoo, best known as an Internet portal welcoming millions of consumers, is undergoing a transition to appeal to a different audience: software developers.

In September, for the first time, the company hosted a Hack Day, where it invited outside developers to mingle with its engineers and write ad hoc "mashup" Web applications using Yahoo's online services.

The goal behind Hack Day--and a broader developer outreach effort--is to create a diverse network, or "ecosystem," of partners, Yahoo executives said.

Yahoo Seeks Geek Credibility [news.com.com]

[httpwebwitch]

Yahoo has always been a good friend to codeslingers. Their APIs are simple, sufficiently documented, and easy to mash - it was easy to mash a Yahoo feed into an app even before the word "mashup" was invented.

Nice to see they're hosting activities like this; I wish I had the opportunity to attend & participate

[grandpa]

I agree that it's a good gesture, which may open new possibilities for everyone involved.

But.. (I sure am cranky today) didn't Yahoo recently release some code, or announce the release of code? I can't locate anything now, but it seems like they were opening up the source to their email app. They have asked the community to write app pluging's, and now they're communally mashing up code for the online Services. The cynic in me asks, are they looking for ideas from the community because they've run out of their own? That's not necessarily bad, but if true, kinda sad.