Google has also aggressively pushed out its APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to enable developers to create "mash ups," or hybrid Web applications, that draw upon services such as Google Maps.

Stein joked that before settling on the repository as a way for Google to "give back" to the community of open-source developers, it considered starting either a "dating service for geeks" or a "personal training service, to help programmers lose the weight from all of the Mountain Dew they're drinking."