The following illustration shows the current weather forecast for Wadenswil, Switzerland as provided by the WeatherBug Rest API offering.

Recently, while rewriting the World Weather Tool I maintain on WiredPages- I considered using this Rest API offering.

The reason I did not use the WeatherBug API offering? The explanation is a little detailed. The short response-- I had to rewrite the interface quickly and chose to keep the software architecture I used for the original. The more detailed explanation is provided so potential clients understand their options.

I developed the original World Weather Tool in 2003 when the WeatherChannel first began offering the API XML feed. At the time they also offered a Software Developer Kit (SDK) which included weather image icons. This enabled me to efficiently use Java Applet technology to render the images quickly.

Since then I have developed any number of interfaces powered by API offerings using Java Servlet technology [sans the front end Applet GUI].

Today, most API services-- provide pointers and links to image files [or other resource files], as illustrated above or demonstrated on the WiredPages Technology page where the CNET interface is installed.

I am using local [hosted on my server] weather image icons for the World Weather Tool illustrated below. Originally and still today.

More often today-- I request the image resources directly from the API provider's site. Rendering remote images with a Java Applet would be a little more time consuming [the amount of time the server side Java Servlet would need to process each request and transfer the raw image data to the applet] and in my opinion, inefficient. The Java Applet does not allow direct import of remote resources as a security precaution.

So recently, why did I use Java Applet and Servlet technology for the Eventful Events Interface? I wanted to use the list feature the Java Applet technology offered.

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