So Drummond Reed and Kim Cameron are getting into sync on terminolgy, ideals and unique identifiers. This is important as both have substantial identity systems which need to mesh together “on the big momma backplane” for digital identities.

Microsoft calls thi backplane “InfoCards” and we’ll get a first glance at it at DIDW (Digital Identity World) in SF in May. (NOTE: I just love the idea of being able to take the BART to a conference and go home to sleep that night.)

There’s move afoot to both support Microsoft and call their bluff simultaneously by plugging into this backplane while setting up a governance mechanism for presiding over such a beast. We all are hoping to work together - along with the Berkman Institute and Stanford to be a sounding board for input from the community at large.

Now what presiding and governance means or whether Microsoft even cares about what we do at all - is still to be seen - but at least they came to us (via Kim) and expressed their interest to work together. I myself will be focused on the nerdy technical subjects and market uptake and others will make sure that everyone gets a voice in this process.

But at the end of the day - it’s Microsoft that has to organize us all - and get us into goosestep synchronization to fulfill the notion of digital identity interop.

Infocards doesn’t require any system to change or adopt to some OTHER data structure or protocols - but creates a very clear path and process for moving BETWEEN systems. It’s a whole verb unto itself.

So you don’t change what you got - you add on this new phenomena - interchange. Done right, safe, secure and extensible.

This is a far cry from the Microsoft of the 90’s or 80’s for that matter. As many have pointed out to us - the past holds a very different story. But now we have to give them the benefit of the doubt - while holding some sort of ad hoc anvil over their heads. The anvil of awareness and transperency (very Cluetrain-like.)

The only way in hell we can achieve the compatibility and equal connections between ALL identity systems out there (and oh by the way - solve phishing and spoofing too) is to work with Microsft by adopting these proposed standards.

I’m sure hoping Dick Hardt and Sxip Networks do. And the Drupal community.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 16th, 2005 at 3:05 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.