> Thomas seems confused here. An API (declaring code) is not a computer program. A computer cannot execute declaring code - by definition - because it is missing the implementation.
Yup, for all intents and purposes an API is just a data exchange contract between different software.
The court overall seems confused, but whatever, at least they didn't rule wrongly in favor of Oracle, so I'm happy our long national nightmare is over.
Specifically I'm less motivated to read more of the PDF when the opening says "The copied lines are part of a tool called an Application Programming Interface (API)." I don't think any programmer would ever describe an API as a tool. A program implementing an API, or talking to an API, sure, but the API itself, is not itself a tool or program.
Yup, for all intents and purposes an API is just a data exchange contract between different software.