When I first read about Marc Canter's ideas for a DLA, it all seemed cogent enough. (See here.) But! My immediate reaction to the image posted at SiliconBeat — large image here, smaller image and original commentary/interview here — is that it looks … well, not very attractive and not very friendly. These are very early days, of course, but what we need is simplicity and clarity of interface — accessibility of information and unclutteredness in layout — with the emphasis on people. (Link: 'Design dissolves in behaviour.')
DLAs, if they ever come, will also have to have appeal for different parts of the globe, allowing for local inspiration as well as global UI-friendliness. I was struck a while back by two postings on Creating Passionate Users: the first on the difference between the humble manhole cover in the US and Japan, the other on the importance of context in how different societies see things (US and Asia).
Moreover, we want to move off the desktop — we have moved off the desktop — out of the lonely study or back-bedroom, and into the world, mobile and social. This kind of GUI isn't going to help there, though it may seem appealing to people who spend hours writing software at a desk or to VCs who sit behind (big) desks.
Surj Patel asks in the comments on SiliconBeat's original posting, is AlwaysOn the right "place" to launch this from? 'I suppose that AO is a communications network, but do AO readers hang out at MySpace or Friendster? What bands do VCs listen to? I think its a GREAT idea, however the wrong crowd to deploy it in. It's what would be right up Yahoo's street or a major ISP.' I'm sure some VCs listen to interesting music, and I'm pretty sure that major corporations aren't necessarily the best people to drive this, but Surj raises a good point.
