Whether App.net will succeed will still likely depend on their ability to make people abandon Twitter for it, but as a developer, I like their initiatives in this regard. Acknowledging third party value, and having that be the founding principle, is something I can only believe will lead to great experiences.

Of course, this is only possible because App.net get money from the users directly, no matter what clients they use. Twitter are leaving money on the table by allowing third party apps to not show ads.