[OpenID] Is openid a sso ?

[Simon Willison]

On 9 Oct 2007, at 14:56, Denis Fingonnet wrote:

> But when I log to my openid server, I'm not logged to any of the  
> others.
>
> So my question is :
> Is openid a sso as I mean it ? If yes, I assume that my problem  
> comes from the implementation of the consumers parts.

OpenID doesn't quite work like that - by signing in to your OpenID  
server you don't magically end up signing in to every site on the Web  
that supports OpenID. This is a good thing - if you were  
automatically signed in anywhere it would be a serious breach of your  
online privacy (sometimes you might want to visit a site without them  
instantly knowing who you are).

What OpenID does is save you from having to create a brand new  
username and password combination for every OpenID enabled site that  
you visit. You'll still have to enter your OpenID on each one  
(hopefully your browser will help you out by autocompleteing it), but  
once you've done that and clicked a button you'll be signed in  
without having to create a new password for the site.

I hope that clarifies things,

Simon Willison