Yahoo to give away e-mail code

In momentous move to enlist independent programmers, Internet giant is revealing one of its crown jewels.

The story "Yahoo to give away e-mail code" published September 30, 2006 at 7:42 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[carroll_dave]

yahoo letting exr developers create apps

Sounds like the strategy salesforce.com is employing with their AppExchange platform.

[maxwis]

So Is This An API?

It's not clear to me whether Yahoo is releasing a full-fledged API for Mail or some kind of crippleware. What about Yahooo Messenger, is that still going to be closed off? And why is Yahoo still failing in their ability to block spam? Every day I get bombarded by a dozen spam emails for "pHarmaz" mail order drugs from India and China and home loan refinancing. I could stop these in an instant if Yahoo just gave me the ability to block emails at the country domain level. Yahoo's current spam filter mechanism is almost useless.

[qwerty75]

They are releasing the code

Not merely allowing access to an API.

[mcshada]

Is this a good idea?????

Yahoo releasing there e-mail code.
Is this really a good idea? Am I the only one worried?
I understand there may be many new and inovative <--(read worthless) bells and whisles added to the e-mail function but Won't the code when released in the wild be ripe picking for all the Crackers (bad hackers) out there???
All I can say is thank God I use Hotmail for my REAL mail and Yahoo for my backup junk account.

[qwerty75]

re

It is a very wise business decision and a good idea.

Just because someone adds to the code, doesn't mean it is going to show up in yahoo mail. Perhaos some things will, but it is not like anyone can just upload to the build tree unfiltered.

Windows is closed source yet far more easily exploitable then say linux. IE is closed source and far more easily exploitable the Firefox. Outlook is far more easily exploited...etc.

Hiding source code is not a security measure.

If you want to use that garbage hotmail, go ahead. I have a spam account with hotmail. All the sign-up stuff I know will result in lots of spam. That is what hotmail is good for. Not that yahoo is a lot better.

I use a paid email service, not a crappy ad-support web browser based one.

[baswwe]

1000's of new email apps??? hahahaha

email is freaking email man

there is nothing to be creative about it

sheesh