I get the argument from hypermedia and linked data practitioners that we need to model our web API behavior on the web. It makes sense, and I agree that we need to be baking hypermedia into our API design practices. What I have trouble with is the fact that the web is a cornerstone that we should be modeling it after. I do not know what web y'all use every day, but the one I use, and harvest regularly is quite often is a pretty broken thing.
It just feels like we overlooking so much to support this one story. I'm not saying that hypermedia principles don't apply because the web is shit, I'm just saying maybe it isn't as convincing of an anchor to build a story that currently web APIs are shit. I understand that you want to sell your case, and trust me...I want you to sell your case, but using this argument just does not pencil out for me.
There is another aspect of this that I find difficult. That the web was developed and took root in a very different environment than web APIs are. We had more time and space to be more thoughtful about the web, and I do not think we have that luxury with web APIs. The stakes are higher, the competition is greater, and the incentives for doing it thoughtfully really do not exist in the startup environment that has taken hold. We can't be condemning API designers and architects for serving their current master (or can we?).
While I will keep using core web concepts and specs to help guide my views on designing, defining, and deploying my web APIs, I'm going to explore other ways to articulate why we should be putting them to use. I'm going to also be considering the success or failure of these elements based on the shortcomings of the web, and web APIs, while I work to better polish the existing stories we tell, as well as hopefully evolve new ones that help folks understand what the best practices for web APIs are.
