(Untitled)

[quirrc]

Poll
(the aim is to allow people to work with other sites from the same client, not to work with LJ using another protocol because all other protocols besides LJ-specific one lack features)
Next release of the client will support Atom.

Comments

[decadence1]

I'm glad you asked this; I voted for Atom. I think that's definitely the one to support, for several reasons. While the Atom API had problems in past years with the working group reaching a consensus on various things, real progress has been made.
For those less familiar with all this, just like Semagic is a LiveJournal client, there are clients for other journal/blog sites too. Talking about APIs (Application Programming Interface) is about discussing tools and protocols that allow people to use an editor without having to use a textbox on a webpage (just like Semagic allows). LiveJournal has its own API called XML-RPC. Theirs is special [:-)] because it has things like Friends groups support, moods, music & the like (specific to LiveJournal based sites). That's all cool - they had to write their own so that programs (like the great Semagic) could connect and post to use these LJ features. Plus, at the time, there was pretty much no Atom (formerly Echo), no MetaWeblog yet either I believe

[quirrc]

The problem here is not some general extensibility etc. but if it is needed by anyone. There were requests for support of MT, in particular for at least basic functionality for crossposing to LJ and MT which is rather easy to make (just post/edit/delete/list categories), but many sites support Atom while LJ does not support MetaWeblog API (so I could not test with LJ) so it may be better to add support of Atom. Another problem is authentication and in Atom it is more secure without requirement of SSL.

[decadence1]

1) The Nokia Lifeblog (PC-mobile phone software combo) recently chose Atom over MetaWeblog. link

2) Sun Microsystems bloggers state they're very much in favour of Atom. One discussed waiting to: "dump this API to finally use Atom". Continuing: "It seems like it will be a "real" specification, and its design last time I looked was pretty clean. The problem with the Meta Weblog API is that the specification is open to interpretation and very often clients and servers implement it either incorrectly or using different interpretations, resulting half working solutions and strange error messages. Atom should be more strict, so more straightforward to validate, yielding better interoperability." link3. a) MetaWeblog is VERY tied to RSS 2.0 (syndication format). That (some might say is) NOT good. The effect is explained by a key Atom community figure: "RSS has long been controlled by a single vendor or entity," said Mark Pilgrim, an early contributor to Atom. "Atom's an open standard, so people can point at the spec and say they're

[decadence1]

More: 4) Atom means one API for both posting & serving/producing a journal feed. Google said "If there are a lot of these feeds out there, we think it will be easier to develop toward it, and the extensibility of ATOM will take out a lot of support and potential confusion for our users." link | link.

5) MetaWeblog has a poor concept of security, sending passwords as plain text on the wire as part of the XML msg. Atom authentication is more practical.

6) Everywhere supporting MetaWeblog supports other APIs anyway. Quote: The MetaWeblog API only allows someone to post and edit blog entries, fetch information about a specific user or change the website template.

7) Wholehearted MovableType crew support. 6A - Jan 27 '04

8) Brad Fitzpatrick also pledged support for the Atom API. LJ already offers all feeds in Atom: "I looked into supporting MetaWeblog, but it doesn't look worth it, considering it's basically identical to Blogger with some random stuff added and removed." [link]

[virtualpersonal]

Thank you for this explaination. Until I got to this comment, I really had no clue what the discussion is about.

If we update to the new atom version of semagic, do we keep the old features (friends names at the touch of a button etc...)?

[quirrc]

atom is for blogger.com

[decadence1]

Thank you for your kind words! :o) I'd forgotten I wrote that comment. In answer to your question: yes, absolutely.

You'd only use the Atom part if you specifically changed the server settings to 'Atom' at the Semagic login screen; and, unless you were going to post to the Blogger journal/blog service instead, you wouldn't need to change it to use the Atom API. In short: downloading the new version'll give you all the old LiveJournal-related features and any new ones added-in to Semagic since your last version, too.