What is the difference between high-level and low-level APIs?

[nmtechie]

I am new to Java technology and I have downloaded the eVe Java Developers
Toolkit from www.evisionglobal.com. The eVe SDK is used to develop visual
search engines. Instead of searching by a keyword, you find similar images
by using a sample image. Here is my problem, I have downloaded and installed
the kit. I have downloaded and ran the sample application; however, what
is an API? I am wanting to try my own application and eVe's SDK has a high-level
API and a low-level API. Is there a difference? I have read the documentation
that comes with the kit, but I just don't seem to be getting anywhere. Could
someone explain to me the difference? Which one is better to use for a basic
search? Which one is better for a complex search?

[Paul Clapham]

API: Application Program Interface. A specification for standard program
routines that can be called by other programs. High-level usually means
generic and relatively simple, low-level usually means more detail-oriented
and hence capable of more detailed control. All of that is irrelevant to
simple versus complex searches, I expect, but it's hard to guess what that
really means.]

PC2

"nmtechie" <nmtechie@netzero.net> wrote in message
news:3b369d80@news.devx.com...
>
> I am new to Java technology and I have downloaded the eVe Java Developers
> Toolkit from www.evisionglobal.com. The eVe SDK is used to develop visual
> search engines. Instead of searching by a keyword, you find similar images
> by using a sample image. Here is my problem, I have downloaded and
installed
> the kit. I have downloaded and ran the sample application; however, what
> is an API? I am wanting to try my own application and eVe's SDK has a
high-level
> API and a low-level API. Is there a difference? I have read the
documentation
> that comes with the kit, but I just don't seem to be getting anywhere.
Could
> someone explain to me the difference? Which one is better to use for a
basic
> search? Which one is better for a complex search?
>