[OpenID] OpenID based on email addresses... Just Works!

Chris Messina chris.messina at gmail.com
Thu Oct 30 07:07:27 UTC 2008


On Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 4:14 PM, David Recordon <drecordon at sixapart.com> wrote:
> Can you use POBox.com with david at yahoo.com?  For the added complexity I just
> don't think it's worth it considering you already can't delegate your email.
>  If you control the domain then you can choose your Provider, otherwise
> you're at the mercy of who controls the domain.  Don't like it, then don't
> use your Yahoo account as your OpenID.  IMHO.
> --David

I'm coming around to this perspective.

While maximal flexibility would be ideal for "delegating email
addresses", I'm willing to compromise to find the simplest, easiest,
quickest and least costliest path to adoption.

While the mapping concept is a worthwhile one technologically, I think
that trying to push all the freedoms that you get with URL-based
OpenIDs into email addresses could be a losing proposition.

If we can support email addresses with maximal flexibility with
minimal costs, great, but from what I've seen of how changes actually
get made, changing the OpenID spec as little as possible is the best
way forward.

It sounds like the OpenID.identity approach might be the best way to
make this happen, pronto, without mucking with DNS and so on.

Remember, email addresses today aren't really explicitly supported by
the spec; the goal should be to make that a possibility with as little
effort as possible.

Chris

-- 
Chris Messina
Citizen-Participant &
  Open Technology Advocate-at-Large
factoryjoe.com # diso-project.org
citizenagency.com # vidoop.com
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