User @ domain.tld as ID (Once again)

[Matthew A. Nicholson]

Sorry to bring this up again, I am new to OpenID and I breifly read 
through some of the user at domain.tld posts.  Before I go any futher, I 
think a decentralized ID system is an excellent idea, the only problem I 
see with it so far, is it's reliance on URL's as identifiers.

First I don't see everyone getting a URL so they can use their OpenID's, 
almost everyone who uses the net already has an email address.  Second, 
tons and tons of other technologies already use email address style 
identifiers.  These include, but are not limited to: email, jabber, gpg, 
monotone, arch, SIP, IAX (and other VOIP stuffs), the list goes on.  Why 
not continue this tradition, it seems to work well.  Why not have one ID 
for everything.

The argument that hotmail users can't use openid because they don't have 
an openid server on hotmail.com does not hold much water.  If the 
customers demand it, and google, and yahoo are doing it, hotmail will 
have openid's.  It's that simple.  Also the argument about people 
changing email addresses frequently is equally weak.  People change 
email addresses because their ISP changed, or they found out hotmail 
sucks.  A revolution is going on, and as an email address becomes the 
universal identifier, they won't be quite as quick to change.

Any way, I guess what I am trying to say is, I think OpenID went wrong 
on not supporting user at domain.tld as an ID and with out that missing 
peice, I don't think it will become popular beyond blogging.  I was 
thinking about using it (and still am), but the non email based id thing 
is a show stopper.

Once again, sorry for bringing this up again...
-- 
Matthew A. Nicholson
Matt-Land.com