identity as a URL instead of an email? hrmmmm

[David Nicol]

> > However, if your common case is using pass.net, then what you've created
> > is little better than MSN Passport; the entire system is dependent on
> > one domain which is itself controlled by one entity. If you go away or
> > turn evil, the whole system comes crashing down.

the answer is distributed control of the "one domain."  By
diversifying the control
to a team of cooperating systems -- the federation -- it becomes more difficult
for the whole federation to "turn evil" even if one member does.

The vision becomes, multiple competing federations using the same protocol;
then a site-level participant can query their favorite, or all of them
that they care
to, to get an ID for a visitor.

I have an e-mail-based system too, I've even posted a client to CPAN.  It's way
hinky but it makes a visitor jump through a hoop.  Once.  Then the visitor can
visit any of my sites that use it.  Just like the pass.net guy.

When I FindTheTime I'd like to extend it to allow identity-as-url as
an option along
with identity-as-e-mail-address.  And also identity-as-nickname for
all comers who
so choose.  Mapping e-mail addresses to words.with.dots is an old idea
-- it's how
the responsible people in SOA records are listed.



--
David L Nicol
"the opportunity of making good with a hard undertaking - one that had
been held impossible of realization - would be a strong asset to the
firm's reputation" -- William Russell, 1860
http://cronos.advenge.com/pc/americana/PonyExpress/p15.html