About the XML interface to Amazon.com


Amazon (AMZN ) may not always get the sale, but that's just fine with the e-commerce giant, which is playing a more central role in Bausch's buying habits. Amazon has made it easier for Bausch and other developers to get the info they want. Since April, 2002, Bausch -- or anyone who has signed up as a developer with Amazon's Web-services program -- has been able to download data feeds from Amazon in XML (extensible markup language) format. Plenty of Amazon hackers have, like Bausch, made tools for their personal use or to put them on their own sites. Still others have made a business selling their tools or software based on Amazon's XML feeds to other companies and Web sites.