<HTML dir=ltr><HEAD><TITLE>Re: [OpenID] OpenID Extension to handle Emails Addresses?</TITLE>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>You think that educating the public at large, the billion user population of the Internet is an easier proposition than changing a few pieces of code?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>What is the value here that demands re-education?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are several million email servers on the Internet. What is being proposed here is much simpler than running a mail server. </FONT></DIV>
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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> SitG Admin [mailto:sysadmin@shadowsinthegarden.com]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thu 10/30/2008 4:45 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Hallam-Baker, Phillip<BR><B>Cc:</B> general@openid.net<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [OpenID] OpenID Extension to handle Emails Addresses?<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
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<P><FONT size=2>>The Internet has an identifier for users - it is their email<BR>>address. Trying to tech users to use anything else is pointless.<BR><BR>Once upon a time, users *didn't* have E-mail addresses as<BR>identifiers. They learned. I'm sure they can learn something else the<BR>same way.<BR><BR>>Identity providers:<BR>> This is a serious business. I don't consider it necessary to<BR>>make barriers to entry any lower than they currently are for<BR>>administering a mail server.<BR><BR>I'm currently providing an OpenID identity. My own. I don't consider<BR>it necessary to create barriers to entry in the "running your own<BR>identity provider" business. It may be "good for business" (other<BR>people's), but it's not good for the decentralization part to raise<BR>requirements until even the tech-savvy users whose only crime is not<BR>acting under the umbrella of a rich corporation *can't* qualify to<BR>run their own IDP!<BR><BR>>OK so now lets think about market building a bit. Lets try to<BR>>embrace and extend the competition.<BR><BR>Are you sure you're with Verisign and not Microsoft? ;)<BR><BR>>The only real arguable point in what I wrote is that I do not have<BR>>solid data on how users will react. It is my hypothesis that they<BR>>will find an email address easier than a URL. If folk want to argue<BR>>that point lets test it out.<BR><BR>I concede that users may find change more difficult than remaining as<BR>they were. I'm still in favor of educating users to move forward - I<BR>don't think it's pointless.<BR><BR>-Shade<BR></FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>