In keeping with the spirit of opportunity and collaboration that is so much a part of eBay, the recently launched eBay Community Codebase provides a place online where computer programmers can share development resources to create open source software applications on eBay. For the first time, there is a place on eBay where developers can work together to exchange ideas and share computer code to make eBay better in a myriad of ways.

The Community Codebase was unveiled to eBay's developer community in June this year, at the Developers Conference held a few days before eBay Live! 2005. Speaking on the occasion, Greg Isaacs, Director of the eBay Developers Program, outlined the vision for the codebase: "By creating the eBay Community Codebase and increasing the limit on free API (Application Programming Interface) access for our individual tier members, we hope to create fertile ground for innovation on the eBay platform."

Open Source – truly a Community effort
The eBay Community Codebase is based on the philosophy of “open source software development.” This means that an application's source code and its related documentation are publicly available. Developers of an open source application have access to the program's underlying source code (the set of instructions that makes a program run), and also have the opportunity to contribute new features and fixes to the program to make it better. Using this approach to software development, no one person or company can dictate the features in the next version of the software tool. Instead, developers come to a consensus about what is best for users, and work together to make it happen—truly a community effort.

Creativity blossoms when programmers are empowered to share their ideas and resources in an open source environment like the Community Codebase. With many people continuously fine-tuning and improving software applications, the larger eBay Community of buyers and sellers benefits. According to Greg Isaacs, “Open-source development has been proven to reduce the time and cost of developing software, while increasing quality through collaboration and continuous improvement.”

Open source software is also known as free software, or freely redistributable software. “Free” in the open source sense of the word not only can refer to “free of cost” (as in free beer), but also to the “freedom to distribute” (as in free speech).

• Freedom to tinker – developers can play around with the code and make enhancements or customizations
• Freedom to re-use – developers can use excerpts of code to improve other projects as long as credit is given
• Freedom to make money – developers can create software applications for use on eBay and PayPal in the process of supplying a perceived market demand
• Freedom to drive the technology future – working together, developers can improve eBay and PayPal tools for the benefit of the larger Community

These freedoms based in open source development provide developers with a level playing field to build innovative applications and businesses on eBay. The level playing field has been a core value on eBay from the beginning, helping individual sellers and small businesses compete successfully with bigger players. Adam Trachtenberg, eBay's Manager of Platform Evangelism, explains how the Community Codebase reinforces eBay's core values. “Through the codebase, independent developers can pioneer new directions for people to use eBay – driven by commerce, energized by innovation, and sustained by the belief that people are basically good. Sound familiar?"

Community Codebase hits the ground running
In the relatively short time since its launch, developers are already actively collaborating on several projects using the resources available on the Community Codebase.

The codebase is structured to have many different projects, arranged within key eBay and PayPal categories. Anyone can start a project and start using codebase resources to work with others in the developer community, even their competitors, on solving common technology challenges. Some of these resources include:

• Version control capability
• Ability to track issues
• Email and online discussion forums for project participants
• File sharing capability
• Site-wide search

Developers in the Community Codebase have several well-defined roles based on the nature of their participation. At first developers generally join a project in the Project Observer role, first by sending little patches of code, suggestions, or participating in email discussions on the mail list. Later, after they've made important contributions, Project Owners can grant them Project Committer access. Project Committers increase the ability of the group to develop the program, and to maintain and develop it more effectively. People who start a new project are automatically designated as the Project Owner for that project.

The TiVo project is one of the most exciting projects currently in development that uses the codebase. Its objective is to develop tools that will enable people to browse, search and buy items for sale on eBay using their TiVo set-top box. alanlewis00, the project lead, is excited at the prospect of pioneering a whole new way in which people can access eBay. “Imagine bidding and buying on eBay from your couch in front of your TV – pretty cool!”

Another open source project is the Code Samples project, where developers like www-karneval-com are contributing updated code samples across fourteen different languages, including Cold Fusion and ASP. In another corner of the codebase, tobegold, bargainland-liquidation and marshncsu are putting their heads together on the API Reference Docs project, which aims to improve usability for developers.

Other codebase projects currently in progress include a project to make eBay Toolbar compatible with the Firefox Web browser, and an effort to build an e-commerce storefront solution that is integrated with PayPal Payments and eBay for auction listings.

Community Codebase, eBay Web Services, and eBay Developers Program
The eBay Community Codebase also serves as a valuable resource for members of the eBay Developers Program, a network of independent developers creating eBay applications using eBay Web Services.

eBay Web Services is a platform that helps developers create software applications for eBay buyers and sellers. It's a collection of open standards and functions that allow data to be exchanged between applications (both eBay applications and external applications developed by third parties) and the eBay platform. The eBay Developers Program helps third party developers use eBay Web Services to build tools that are both innovative and safe for the eBay marketplace.

The eBay Developers Program is a thriving developer community of around 18,000 developers who are building their own applications using eBay Web Services.

With help from the eBay Developers Program, the developer community is adding more code samples in many programming languages to add to the growing array of resources in the codebase.

The fledgling projects under development in the codebase are already an indication of the shape of things to come. Greg Isaacs is a firm believer in the collective power of the eBay Community. “We are consistently amazed by the new tools we see created by developers who have been inspired by the opportunity of the eBay marketplace.”

Keep an eye on the eBay Community Codebase for tools that will help you use eBay more efficiently and effectively.