So Twitter has some competition, sort of...

Identi.ca is a new microblogging service that launched today - but it's not just another also-ran. The service is an Open Source, CreativeCommons framework for a distributed network of federated microblogging services.

If you've become interested in the paradigm changing model of communication popularized by Twitter but have been frustrated by Twitter's frequent down time or other shortcomings - then Identi.ca could be for you.

Sounds very exciting doesn't it?  All your prayers have been answered you disenfranchised Twitter lovers.  But wait, there's more...

Coming "Soon"

Identi.ca just launched today but lists a number of features it says are coming "soon," including SMS, URL shortening, cross posting to Twitter and other services, a more AJAXy interface and much, much more. Exciting.

There is no "replies" tab on Identi.ca, but Twitter users will already be accustomed to that, right? We hope that functionality will come to Idneti.ca quickly.

What now?  But...But...I thought this was the deliverance? 

OK, all joking aside, this is something I've mentioned before and something that happens to be a really big pet peeve of mine.  Open Source is not a feature unless you actively plan to use the source to improve the product.  Otherwise it's useless to you. 

The only reason this half baked offering is getting any press attention at all is because its Open Source.  If not for that it would be laughable.  Not only is it inferior to Twitter in every conceivable way but its built with basically no resources so if everyone does rush to it you can expect it to crash faster and more often than Twitter does. 

Oh, and on that note, if everyone rushes over there one thing they won't find is an API.  That's right, dig a little deeper and you find this isn't really even as "open" as Twitter in that it doesn't have an API (support for the Twitter API is another "planned feature"). 

So basically its just like Twitter it just lacks everything you love about Twitter.  

The one thing I will give it credit for is that its the first product (if you can call it that) to demonstrate a model for a federated microblogging service (meaning others could put up their own compatible microblogging services and exchange messages between them).  But since the site only seems to be coming up sporadically for me I can't look into that to see how effective their model is. 

So while this could be the start of something significant right now the offering is pretty weak.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm an advocate of Open Source but if these initiatives want to succeed than they have to create products that can compete in the marketplace with closed source options. 

Otherwise they're just wasting everyone's time.