Are you tired of remembering all those passwords for your different websites? Or would you like to be able to sign a weblog comment securely - without others being able to spoof it? Maybe you should get yourself a shining new online identity using OpenID.
(if you already know OpenID then jump directly to the last section about OpenID in PostNuke)
OpenID - a Free, Decentralized Online Identity
OpenID is a relatively new web-technology for managing your online identity. It's primary purpose is to facilitate Single Sign On across independent websites. This means you can create yourself an OpenID identity and use that for login in to different websites without having to retype your password over and over again.
Your OpenID consists of a URL, e.g., http://jornwildt.myopenid.com, and the OpenID technology makes it possible for you to prove that you own this URL. So, when you want to log in to a website supporting OpenID, you type this URL and then the website takes care of the rest (almost). EnThinnai Blog compares OpenIDs to credit cards: credit cards are issued by someone, it proves your identity at the issuer, you can have as many cards as you want, and in OpenID's case you can even use them to get access to places.
You can also use your OpenID to sign a weblog comment without the need to register as a user on that website. No one else can do that with your URL so your comments cannot be spoofed by anyone.
Take a look at these demos of how it works in some applications:
On Simon Willison's website you can also see some good examples of what OpenID can be used for.
One very interesting thing is that OpenID has just been adopted by Yahoo! So now each and every one of the 250 million Yahoo! users have their own OpenID identity. Even Google, IBM, Microsoft, and VeriSign have signed up to support the new technology. With that kind of backing OpenID is no more a kids toy.
OpenID is of course not the perfect solution for everything (see for instance idcorner.org) but I would say it is close to perfect for Single Sign On and signing comments in the web/PostNuke world I live in.
If you want to start using your own OpenID then get one at myopenid.com - it's free and it's all you need.
OpenID in a PostNuke world
PostNuke should of course also have such a thing as OpenID for Single Sign On, user registration, signing comments and so on. So a new OpenID module for Single Sign On and user registration is on it's way (expected release in March or April). Have fun with it.
An OpenID implementation with PostNuke should also enable you to use your PostNuke installation as an Identity Provider, meaning that your OpenID could be YourName.YourSite.com. Hopefully the OpenID module will support this.
Other uses for OpenID in PostNuke could be to sign comments using the EZComments module or pre-allow access to certain Mediashare photo albums through your friends OpenIDs. Only the sky is the limit and OpenID is free for you to use and invent with.
Regards, Jørn Wildt
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9 Comments so far
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1. pheski wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 02:22 AM
The OpenID autolink on this page is broken and generates a 'not found on this server' error.Peter
2. AmmoDump wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 03:51 AM
Yes, I can see how this would be very handy for some of us..
Thanks, Jorn!
3. JørnWildt wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 08:49 AM
Oh, I forgot to credit the PostNuke team with the flexibility in PN that enables an external module to hook into both the user login and registration proces. Kudos!4. espaan wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 08:56 AM
Very interesting, thanks.
5. jadranko wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 01:37 PM
Let me bring up the mood a little bit:Is this OpenID something similar to Microsoft Passport, used in Hotmail, etc...?
6. pheski wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 02:35 PM
Thanks for fixing the OpenID link.It looks like something with lots of potential - though I have to confess, I don't find any sites using it among my regulars. Time will tell.
P
7. JørnWildt wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 02:43 PM
"No! Passport is totally proprietary, and it relies on one company (Microsoft) for authentication and profile management. OpenID is truly decentralised... you can get accounts at any of the above-mentioned sites, and there are more springing up all the time. OpenID is specifically designed so the system doesn't collapse if one company goes out of business or turns evil. " (see http://www.madhousebeyond.com/?mode=login)
Check also http://wiki.openid.net/FAQ#How_is_this_different_than_using_a_centralized_Single_Sign-On_service.3F_.28such_as_Microsoft_Passport.29
8. JørnWildt wrote on Feb 29, 2008 at 02:45 PM
So install the OpenID module on your site and you have at least one
9. dks wrote on Mar 02, 2008 at 05:35 AM
OpenID has been building buzz for quite some time. I saw Steve Gibson do a segment on Leo Laporte's TV program the other day. I've also seen several sites that I consider to be big player or at least "up and comers" that have implimented it just recently and thought that it would be a great thing for PostNuke.Whether or not OpenID catches on big time, I think it's important to throw the PostNuke hat into the ring