"App.net has the potential to be something more fundamental, like the web (HTTP) or email (SMTP)." Unfortunately, I have my reservations about this ... both of

"App.net has the potential to be something more fundamental, like the web (HTTP) or email (SMTP)." Unfortunately, I have my reservations about this ... both of those protocols are, by definition, decentralized. They don't depend on a specific 3rd party provider as is the case with app.net (unless I'm misunderstanding their proposal). That definitely seems like the biggest weakness with app.net, especially for people who want it to become a ubiquitous piece of infrastructure. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for app.net, and I hope they really deliver ... I've had several ideas where a generic 'feed' would be quite useful.