Google Maps API – Automated Hacks

Chapter 84: Before Google Maps API — How 1995–1998 Web APIs Set the Rules for Location-Based Apps

Google Maps API arrived much later, but its core ideas—request/response patterns, parameterized URLs, and scripted UI behavior—were forged in 1995–1998 through CGI, HTML forms, and early JavaScript.

Chapter 14 (1990–1994): Before Google Maps API—How Early HTTP Interfaces Made Location-Based Web Apps Possible

Google Maps API arrived much later, but its DNA is visible in the early Web (1990–1994): HTTP’s uniform interface, server-side programs exposed through URLs, and the first patterns for turning data into interactive experiences—including location-based pages.