Here’s a kick-ass project that’s just launched — a way to compare and rate APIs. Driven by Idealware. As Laura Quinn writes:

There’s been a lot of hubbub recently about the release of new APIs from Convio and Kintera. It’s exciting news, but hard to cut through the hype to figure out what precisely is being offered, and to who. Which API is better? Well, better for who? And to do what? … We need a framework that can help us compare the data exchange offerings of different vendors. (More at Idealware’s blog.)

Right on, Laura!

To restate why it’s exciting news, I’ll point you back to the good old Integration Proclamation, the petition I started a year ago to pressure software providers to open up and integrate with other tools. The Proclamation’s message remains as loud and clear as ever — progressive nonprofits and campaigns need their data to flow freely. The tools need to talk to each other. Good APIs (application programming interfaces) are what allow the tools to talk. So progressives need good APIs.

But as Laura says, separating good APIs from bad APIs is really hard to do, even for the most technically savvy software users. So the vendors can make crap APIs and pass them off as the greatest thing since sliced bytes. That’s why Idealware’s framework is so important — it can shine some light on the APIs and push the vendors to choose high standards, not hype.

Full disclosure — I’m also excited about this because I was involved with the API Framework idea from its inception, at last year’s NTEN conference. My focus shifted to one very specific integration (more on that soon, I promise). But Laura picked up the concept and, with Paul Hagen’s skillful help, is turning it into reality.

It’s been wonderful to watch this nugget of a good idea turn into a full fledged project. I wish Laura and Paul the best of luck!