I agree open has become newspeak and we have to be more precise:

- published: you can use it to get some data and it is documented

- transparent or reversible: you can get your data back

- interoperable: you can implement the API on your own and interoperate with other users/servers

You don't need a word, you need a phrase with a complex published definition like Open Source or Free Range Egg, and you need a social movement to back it up, or else people will muddy the waters with phrases like Shared Source or Barn Fresh Egg.

You can see this failure clearly with the attempt in 2003 to define "Open Standard" as a standard with no royalty payments. Many governments adopted this definition but they all wrote their own definition and there was no single definition for people to point to and now Apple fans and others with a vested interest have corrupted it to the point that it is meaningless.

Note this applies to made up words like REST web services too.

I think an acronym (in the true sense, ie something pronounceable) would be best.

As a start, how about FADES?

* Full API Data - all data is available over the API, with no restriction on what you can do with it.

* Equal Status - the companies own servers use the same API as their partners, with no hidden APIs. It is possible to host the API yourself.

And RADES:

* Reversable API Data - everything you've submitted but no more. No restriction on what you can do with it.

* Equal Status - as above.

(further ideas or enhancements welcome)

English is not a regulated language. It is very fluid; words change meaning over time via cultural shifts, or more deceptively for political reasons. We can also ascribe a particular defined meaning to a word within the context of a specific discussion to get everyone on the same page.

Like any other word or phrase, 'open' or 'open API' is going to have a meaning based on the context in which it is used. Open has a certain marketing cachet that generally says anyone can use it and they can use it just about everywhere (usually for free or at nominal cost). To give it meaning, you must further qualify it by what it does. That gives it context. Without context it's just hype.

English is very context sensitive. That's probably a good thing. If we had to come up with a distinct word for every distinct idea, our language would be even more bloated and obtuse than it already is. I'll grant that the author has a point, but if you accept the idea, then we also need to come up with new words for "freedom", "justice", and I'm sure hundreds if not thousands of others.

Good to hear this being said by more people. That word has been stretched and pulled in every direction people can think of, and I'm sure there are other companies out there working to redefine the word as well. It almost seems like the word 'open' is being used like the word 'free' (in the sense that you don't spend your money to use it).

An Open API means what it is. A programming interface that is open. What the API does or does not is a separate matter.