[_djo_]

I agree that app.net is an awkward name, but you're wrong about it not being about apps: It's developed explicitly as a platform on top of which apps can be built. Hence the File API.

The Twitter-like interface you see when going to the site is Alpha, an app built on top of the app.net services. Similarly there are apps like Patter which go in other directions, creating an IRC-like environment.