Yesterday, Steve Ballmer unveiled the new Windows Messenger Live IM client in Brazil, and at the same time, Microsoft developers in Amsterdam took the wraps off Messenger Connect, the API that lets developers connect to the service.
The Windows Live blog explains, “Messenger Connect brings the individual APIs we’ve had for a long time (Windows Live ID, Contacts API, Messenger Web Toolkit, etc.) together in a single API that’s based on industry standards and specifications (OAuth WRAP, ActivityStrea.ms, PortableContacts) and adds a number of new scenarios.”
ReadWriteWeb examines the API in more detail and explains how it fits in with a new “loosely joined ecosystem” that is being created as companies embrace cloud computing and offer open APIs.
