Microid mailing list

[Fred Stutzman <fred AT metalab.unc.edu>]

On Sat, 9 Dec 2006, Terrell Russell wrote:

> Option 2) Just publish the OpenID itself (no hashing)
>
> <meta name="openid" content="http://mysite.com/";>
> or
> <link rel="openid" href="http://mysite.com/";>
>
>
> The question was simply - why would I implement a MicroID if I'm already
> using OpenIDs on my site?  Isn't the point of the hashing the
> obfuscation of the communication identifier (to prevent spam)?  Isn't it
> unnecessary if the communication identifier is just a URL?

Preventing spam is only one part of it.  The real reason is creating a 
flexible, scalable namespace.  If you use an email or a URL or an i-name or 
a carspace or whatever, you have to define a namepsace for each.  With the 
hash, you can still have all your different identifiers, but everyone 
speaks the same language cause all you have to expect is a hash.  This is 
truly KISS design and I think we need to keep it that way so microid can 
remain scalable.

> I think the answer is, simply, we need to stick to a simple spec - and
> that publishing the fact that a user has a particular OpenID falls
> outside of the scope of a MicroID spec.  There is nothing stopping the
> greater web community from deciding to publish something like Option 2
> above - but that would not be a MicroID - it would simply be the formal
> publication and broadcast of the fact that a page was
> owned/operated/edited by a particular user with a particular OpenID.

Right...that wouldn't be a microid.


> Thoughts?
>
>
>
> Terrell
> http://claimID.com
> http://terrellrussell.com
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--
Fred Stutzman
claimID.com
919-260-8508
AIM: chimprawk