

Ask HN: Thoughts on OpenID? - aichcon

Do you think OpenID is a good choice for user management if you were launching a new site today?  Or is it still too confusing a concept for an average audience?<p>I'm not sure - as a user registering on a new site, I think I would prefer it so I could have one less username / password to worry about.  On the other hand, I fear that users' current mental model of registering for a site may scare them from using something like OpenID.
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RossM
I think that OpenID is too confusing, until presented well to the user. I'd
include a short piece of text on yuor registration/login page about OpenID -
and make it clear to the user that they probably already use an OpenID-enabled
service (such as Google Accounts or Yahoo! which actually tell you now). Try
to present it as a way to speed up registration - less fields etc.

Right now, I'd still use a classical registration system, but show off OpenID
as an alternative system and allow existing registrations to link OpenIDs. I
still view it as an alternative, rather than a replacement.

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bliving
Good point. Don't sell the security. Focus on ease-of-use.

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Zarathu
Coming from a security background, I think there's something intrinsically
wrong with that type of authentication system.

I like to use 1Password: a different, complicated, virtually uncrackable
password on every site I use.

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dschobel
How do you log in if you are away from your mac though? Is there a web
interface to 1Password?

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bliving
A unique password for each site. One password to remember.

Sounds like PwdHash.

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christefano
Sounds like SuperGenPass, too.

    
    
      http://supergenpass.com/

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chris24
I don't think it's reached the point where it should be the only
authentication system offered by any service.

I think it's still very confusing to the average joe, but if you stressed
something like "login with your google account", with an easy button to use
the Google OpenID provider to authenticate, it might make it easier for the
average joe to understand. Something similar to
<http://www.postrank.com/login> would probably be effective with most average
users, IMO.

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noodle
biggest issue i see is that initial effort hump required of new users. the
more difficult it is to create a new account, the fewer people will tend to do
it. i'd compare it to the standford marshmallow test.

