On APIs

The web, in it's so-called 2.0 age, has spawned a movement that prescribes the philosophy of freedom of information. In so doing, new web-based applications (digg, twitter, anything from 37signals) have created "API"s, a fairly accurately name. However, in thinking back to the desktop application market and the operating systems that they run upon, we see the use of the term API. The programatic functionality provided by these APIs is wholly different from those on the web. The desktop APIs provide access to actions to be taken on behalf of the application or some other form of functionality. Information is undoubtedly an aspect but, it is not the focus. On the other hand, we see the APIs of the web. These APIs offer, primarily, the methods enabling some external party access to information and the capability to submit/insert/update information within the originating application. With the differences that exist between the two forms of API, why do they share this nomenclature?

I suggest something like "AIT", or Application Information Transport, be used to describe this new form of API.