Mashups { Software Ecosystems for the Web Era
Arto Salminen, Tommi Mikkonen · 2012
Abstract. Web-based software and services are available all over the world instantly after they are released online. They can be used and updated without need to install anything, and once in place, they can also be reused in other contexts. As the amount of web services and devices used to consume data has exploded, it is becoming difficult to handle and gain access to the relevant data. Mashups are a new breed of web applications that act as content aggregates that leverage the power of the Web to support instant, worldwide sharing of content. Another dimension of mashups is that since they build on services that are readily available, they are also implicitly creating software ecosystems between service providers and application developers. In this paper, we address the role of mashups in the creation of software ecosystems for the web era. In addition, we identify four levels of support that service providers can offer for mashups. Furthermore, we will also discuss the different flavors of mashups as well as implementation considerations that are relevant from the ecosystem perspective. Key words: Mashups, web applications, software ecosystems 1