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groho from Google Wave Communities:

The second thing Google did right is build on top of the XMPP protocol. (The protocol is an XMPP extension, look it up. It runs on an XMPP server, look it up. Enough said.) This is important because in order to participate in a conversation with someone or something you need to be able to talk to it. Right now, we are in a world of walled gardens:-

Facebook 

Myspace 

LinkedIn 

Enterprise applications 

Home applications 

These are very proprietary systems and you certainly cannot talk between them without something translating in the middle. If you wanted to write an application that worked across Facebook and Linkedin, for example, you’d have to write it twice, and translate in the middle. And then there is still no standardized way to talk with OTHER applications. But once you can talk directly with someone or something, bypassing the proprietary gatekeepers, the value of the entire network grows exponentially with each new connection.

I strongly agree with him on these points. I am a firm believer in supporting (well thought-out) standards on the internet. It’s why I don’t support Facebook.

Standards are created to help ease the communication boundaries between competing protocols/coding languages/etc. Open source projects are there to help make the internet (and software projects) stronger and better by letting everyone contribute to the solution. Email would not be so widespread if it were not an agreed upon standard, and I believe that until we all agree on some new communication standard, we are going to face a repeating history of new social networks that grow huge and when they die, take everything created on them with them.

I would like to quickly bring to your attention a beautifully simple app (both aesthetically and practically). Simplenote is an app for iPhone/iPod Touch with a very simple purpose: to take and take care of your notes. It is also more than just a native app; it features a web app for use on desktop web browsers so that you’re never far away from your notes.

Both the web app end, and the native app end are as simple as they need to be. You use your email address and a password for online sync, and you’re given a basically limitless number of note pages to create. These are synced live and seamlessly with an option to email notes as well. That’s all there is to it.

On top of this, the developer has begun a beta api for Simplenote. This api allows for other apps to call the server for your synced notes. There are currently a few “plug-ins” for Yojimbo and National Velocity. The one I want to mention here is JustNotes.

JustNotes is a small app that that sits in your menubar that allows you to log into your Simplenote account. This app also keeps true to its name by giving you only an option to switch fonts (Helvetica, Monaco, Lucida Grande and Marker Felt). Other than that, it is set up to float above all other apps while it is visible.

There are currently no keyboard shortcuts included, but I’m sure (and hope) that it’s that next feature to come considering it’s still in beta.

Also, for those who use or prefer a SSB (Site Specific Browser - like Fluid), there a few users who’ve created style sheets to customize the interface of Simplenote (Simplenote restyled, Simplnote menubar). They aren’t hard to implement and can really spruce up the UI.

If you find yourself ever taking notes on your device, you really owe it to yourself to give this app a shot. At $2 it’s a steal! And with all the attention it’s getting online, I’m sure the Cloud Factory will keep in touch with users and keep this app feeling fresh with regular updates (note sharing with other Simplenote users perhaps?).

There is something to be said for apps that do one thing and do it right. This is the “Notes” app that should have been included with the iPhone/Touch in the first place.