Open ID is making headlines all over the blogosphere, but what exactly is it and how will it help you? If you check out openid.net, you’ll see their definition: OpenID is an open, decentralized, free framework for user-centric digital identity. In English, Open ID is a free, cross-platform way to authenticate a person’s online identity. Cross platform? Yeah - the same ID for all services that support it. In Plain English, Open ID will make signing up for services on the Internet easier because you will only have one name to remember.
I am really excited about this idea because I have multiple user names and logins, and unless I rely on Firefox’s password memory functions, I tend to forget which is which. Is my del.icio.us user name jeremydavid or wowjeremydaivd? Or is that my reddit account? I often forget. What irritates me even more is when I try to sign up for a new service only to find out jeremydavid is already taken, and I have to think of yet another login name. Open ID has the potential to solve all of these dilemmas. Fantastic.
Another positive aspect of this services is that there is no central company governing the IDs; there is no corporate gatekeeper of a super secret database that companies have to buy licenses for. It is open sourced and decentralized, meaning anyone from anywhere can use Open ID for free. Many companies are adopting this (AOL and Digg to name a few), and I am really excited to see how this evolves. I have a feeling this will be the next big thing on the Internet. Lets see if I am correct.
