Another one bites the dust... (RIP Dark Sky)

[JelleDekkers]

So Dark Sky have announced they're going to terminate their Weather API next year. As of today, they're not accepting any new API key signups.

https://blog.darksky.net/

For reference in case that webpage is ever deleted:

By Adam Grossman on March 31, 2020.

Today we have some important and exciting news to share: Dark Sky has joined Apple.

Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy.

There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone.

What happens to our existing products?

iOS App
There will be no changes to Dark Sky for iOS at this time. It will continue to be available for purchase in the App Store.

Android and Wear OS App
The app will no longer be available for download. Service to existing users and subscribers will continue until July 1, 2020, at which point the app will be shut down. Subscribers who are still active at that time will receive a refund.

Website
Weather forecasts, maps, and embeds will continue until July 1, 2020. The website will remain active beyond that time in support of API and iOS App customers.

API
Our API service for existing customers is not changing today, but we will no longer accept new signups. The API will continue to function through the end of 2021.

As part of this transition, use of Dark Sky by Apple is subject to the Apple Privacy Policy, which can be found at apple.com/privacy.

Thank you!

To our customers, family and friends, we are grateful for your support over the past eight years. We look forward to continuing to build great products, so stay tuned…

The Dark Sky Team

It's sad to see yet another weather service go dark, but I'm sure glad I switched to Yahoo recently.

[Jeff]

F

[mak_kawa]

Sad news... It might be too soon, but now I have removed my DarkSky weather skin from desktop. Life comes and goes...

[raiguard]

This is really unfortunate, because Dark Sky was truly the most interesting and most capable weather API I could find. I was going to do so much with it, but now I'll have to put all of that aside and rewrite my Weather skin again.

RIP.

[Active Colors]

What one would recommend parsing? Yahoo weather? Or are there better free solutions?

[jsmorley]

What one would recommend parsing? Yahoo weather? Or are there better free solutions?

https://forum.rainmeter.net/viewtopic.php?f=118&t=34628

[JelleDekkers]

What one would recommend parsing? Yahoo weather? Or are there better free solutions?

I use Yahoo cause I feel like TWC is just a hassle to deal with. Just check out any of my skins for examples.

[rick-t-fiedrain]

Perhaps someone will see the hole left behind by Apple's move and develop something similar .. or better .. for the rest of the world.

One can hope for it, at least.

RICK

[Yincognito]

This must have been one of the shortest lifetimes I've ever experienced (from a personal point of view). I heard about DarkSky a couple of months ago and now it's (or will be soon) dead. I'm not that affected by this as I wasn't using it, but this surely reduce the number of alternatives in case the "current" way we get weather data gets "broken".

What I don't like the most in this (and other such situations) is how they present the news as "exciting", LOL - I never liked lies. Don't these folks (a stronger word should be used here, referring to their poor ability to judge and anticipate things) realize that Apple will swallow them like ants and surely disband / fire the whole "Dark Sky team" in the shortest time possible, or turn their product into a laughable piece of s.. I mean software? This has happened so many times by now with countless companies and teams. The leader gets a paycheck and the product and the team get flushed down the toilet.

"Exciting news" indeed...

[Yincognito]

it's not dead it's bought by apple...

Same thing. When small companies are bought by bigger ones, the small company (and the noble ideals that made it) are dead, done, dusted, kaput. Check out the countless other examples of such acquisitions and you'll see this pattern over and over again. Small companies and project work and are close to the user; the big ones work and are close to money. Period. When one gets big, the passion is lost, the motivation is altered, and he knows he can get away with almost anything, including defying the user.

Imagine Rainmeter being bought by one of these big companies. What do you think it will happen with the nice project, nice team, nice forum, nice community? If you can't see how such things end up, well, I'm really sorry, but the reality is there in front of your eyes, proven time and time again...

Yeah, but Apple is different, blah blah blah... Nope, don't think so - it's just prettier than others, that's all.