The complexity of connecting tools in this new API economy is getting compounded by the inability to link this new breed of services so people can talk in context about the code. Application development cycles are shorter and developers are picking tools that make them more productive.
To counter the increasing complexity, Tasktop Technologies, an application lifecycle management (ALM) integrator, is today launching an open-source effort called Software Lifecycle Integration (SLI) that would link the disparate tools in the software lifecycle management process. The new initiative is called M4, and if approved at EclipseCon, it will become part of an open-source project under Eclipse-Mylyn.