IFrames, Mash-ups and APIs

IFrames, Mash-ups and APIs

1. Mash-up

   • A new breed of web-based applications created by hackers/programmers to mix at least two different services.
   • An example would be overlaying traffic data from one source on the Internet over maps from Yahoo, Microsoft or Google.
   • An advantage would be that businesses can benefit from mash-ups
   • A disadvantage would be that the user might not have control over the quality and features of the content

2. IFrame

   • An HTML document embedded inside another HTML document on a website.
   • This element is often used to insert content from another source, such as a advertisement, into a Web page
   • An advantage would be that they have the ability to keep one part of the page static whilst changing another part
   • A disadvantage would be that the IFrame might not load properly

3. API

   • A set of programming instructions and standards for accessing a Web-based software application or Web tool
   • For example, Amazon could release its API so that website developers could more easily access Amazon's product information
   • An advantage would be that many APIs are freely available
   • A disadvantage is that you should always be concerned with how reliable the API is