I have to write a couple of paragraphs for each of the below questions but I don't know where to start. The question makes out that software libraries and API's are linked somehow but I don't understand this relationship. My idea of a software library was in Python or C#, you would import a library and use the tools of that library to make tasks easier (i.e. you might import a math library of some sort that doesn't come standard with the language). It is an addition to a software language.

API's though interface with software to get information etc. Like if I wanted to develop a mobile app that allowed users to import their photos from Facebook. I would need some sort of backend software to communicate and retrieve this data from Facebook's servers AKA an API.

Yet I don't get why thet have singled out software 'libraries' and API's for this question. What would be an example of a software library needing an API, and how would I answer these questions?

1. Software Libraries and APIs

Software libraries encapsulate useful pieces of functionality for use by programs. Application Programming Interfaces (API) are the interfaces to libraries. In this exercise you will investigate a software library and its API.

a)Find an interesting software library which has a well-documented API. What is the purpose of the library and on which operating system does it run?

b)Describe the main APIs of your library.

c)Find some example code which uses the API and paste the code here:

d)Explain how your library has dealt with versioning / library evolution. (Alternatively do this for a different library if you cant find the information for your library.)

References

Provide a list references to all material you have used.