[PROPOSAL] Handle "http://user at example.com" Style Identifiers

[Hallam-Baker, Phillip]

This all depends on whether OpenIDs are going to be used exclusively as hooks for attributes or as a contact mechanism.
 
I think that there will inevitably be demand to use the identifiers as contact addresses. The question is how this need is going to be met in a way that prevents people being spammed to death.
 
I don't see how anyone is going to pay to be =drummond if they are the only person who is ever going to type the text in. The idea makes no sense since anyone who cares about what they type in can get a plug in that provides a pretty name for free.
 
 
Ergo we are talking about contact addresses and on the Internet that means email addresses. I am willing to watch people spend large amounts of money attempting to prove otherwise. I am not going to throw roadblocks in their way to the tar pit. 
 
All I want is the ability to say to people 'I told you so' afterwards. 
 
And to offer email addresses on an equal basis with XRIs. In other words I am quite happy for others to jump into what I believe to be a tar pit and splash around. What I object to is being tied to them.
 



________________________________

	From: specs-bounces at openid.net [mailto:specs-bounces at openid.net] On Behalf Of John Panzer
	Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 3:17 PM
	To: Kaliya *
	Cc: specs at openid.net
	Subject: Re: [PROPOSAL] Handle "http://user@example.com" Style Identifiers
	
	
	Kaliya * wrote on 10/20/2006, 11:57 AM: 

	

		I think it is a terrible idea.
		
		1) If you put something out into the market that looks like an e-mail it will be used like an e-mail. I have personal experience with this. 
		
		I had a AIM handle for the Mac part of the universe kaliya at mac.com (it was not an e-mail address) but because it looked like one people used it like one and I basically had to go to .mac and pay for an account so that the wires did not cross. 

	This came out of the discussions we have about a smooth migration path for our users at AOL.  In our case the user at example.com nickname is also a resolvable email address, though it may not be the primary mail account of the user.  I'd suggest that as a best practice, anywhere that a user at example.com nickname is used, it should also be a resolvable email address.  And there should always be an option to not use something that looks like an email address.
	

		2) I think OpenID is new and needs a new way to identify folks. And it is our job to teach people about this new way.  Lots of services give people homepages within their spaces...myspace, AIMpages etc.  so they can use those URL's if they don't have one yet they can get one. 

	There's a bootstrapping problem here.  It's very, very hard to promote the use of something that requires a more complex login flow to replace something that is very simple (albeit limited and in its own silo).  How can we cross this chasm?  Our suggestion is to support existing practice of user at example.org in a standard way, while being open to new practices.  Once we can support both we can gain experience and start gradually migrating people over to the new world.  At least that's my take.
	
	-- 
	Abstractioneer <http://feeds.feedburner.com/aol/SzHO> John Panzer
	System Architect
	http://abstractioneer.org
	

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