Google AJAX Feed API

Google has released a new tool to help developers more easily access

data feeds. The Google AJAX Feed API simplifies mashup creation for

Web developers by providing easy access to public data feeds through

JavaScript.  According to Bret Taylor, Google group manager for

developer products, "the AJAX Feed API takes the pain out of the

process by enabling developers to access feeds with just a few lines

of JavaScript code instead of struggling with server-side proxies or

delving into XML's complexities. One of the difficult parts of

accessing data feeds is there are a lot of different versions of

feed formats out there; but the AJAX Feed API does a lot of the

heavy lifting in terms of which feed format is being used and then

automatically supports it. You don't need to become an expert in

every feed format." The AJAX Feed API supports Atom 1.0, Atom 0.3,

RSS 2.0, RSS 1.0, RSS 0.94, RSS 0.93, RSS 0.92, RSS 0.91, and RSS 0.9.

Moreover, using the AJAX Feed API, a developer can display a dynamic

blogroll on a personal home page, display recent photos from a

public Picasa Web Albums feed on a blog or even plot a feed of news

events on a Google Map. The new API brings mashup creation within

reach of users ranging from bloggers to hobbyists to professional

coders. It can be used independently of the Google Web Toolkit.



http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2115325,00.asp

See also the Google AJAX Feed API documentation: http://code.google.com/apis/ajaxfeeds/documentation/