14 DAY TRIAL // There is a reason why the Mountain view-based search giant decided to unveil Google Wave at the Google I/O developers conference, namely because its success will largely depend on the developers and what they will make with the tools it provides them with. Google Wave has a lot of rough edges for now but the company is releasing it along with a set of APIs so that developers can get started on making applications and understanding how it works.
However, Google isn't trying just to launch a new service with Wave; it's trying to create a new protocol, something that could potentially replace email and instant messaging. This is why openness is a top priory for the company. The whole software will be released as open source along with the Google Wave Federation Protocol, which will allow anyone to host a Wave server, much in the same way as with email servers today.
There are two kinds of Google Wave APIs available to developers. The Embed API will allow them to integrate Wave into their site with a simple JavaScript API. It is possible to embed a wave directly into a web page and its contents and features will be available to anyone. The other API is Extensions which enables developers to create small applications called Robots or Gadgets that will run inside waves providing functionality to users.
The Robots will act as automated participants in the wave and will run on the server side. For now Google developers have provided client libraries in Java and Python. They've also created several of these robots as examples of what can be done. One of them is a Twitter client they call “Tweety,” which allows participants to use Twitter inside a Google Wave. Another one is a Maps robot that makes use of Google Maps and enables users to collaborate or plan events with the maps.
Developers are welcomed to use these new APIs so by the time Google is ready to release Wave to the public the development community will be ready to create applications or find new ways to use it.