Liberty Alliance Waves White Flag at Passport

eWeek ^ | December 2, 2002 | Peter Galli and Dennis Fisher

[Bush2000]

A growing rift among members of the Liberty Alliance authentication project is placing the technology's future in question. At the core of the problem is exactly where to target the single-sign-on technology in the face of stiff and growing client-side competition from Microsoft Corp.'s Passport service.

[Bush2000]

From Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" (with modifications):

Colonel: Don't you love your country?
Joker: Yes, sir.
Colonel: Then how about getting with the program? Why don't you jump on the team and come on in for the big win?
Colonel: Yes, sir!
Colonel: Son, all I've ever asked of my developers is that they obey my orders as they would the word of God. We are here to help the consumer, because inside every Mac and Linux user there is an American trying to get out. It's a hardball world, son. We've gotta keep our heads until this peace craze blows over.
Joker: Aye-aye, sir.

[Bush2000]

bump ;-)

[Bush2000]

"We don't have to concede anything to Microsoft," said Justin Taylor, chief strategist for directory services at Novell Inc., of Provo, Utah.

How about simply conceding to reality, Justin? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"Windows is only one part of the equation. Passport has been a huge failure, really. Microsoft managed to get tens of millions of users to register but only because it's become mandatory.

LMFAO! Good comedy. It's such a "failure" that Liberty has decided not to even compete.

[TomServo]

LOL!! Volley bump!!

[Cicero]

"I don't think it will be very long before we have a pervasive non-Microsoft client," Schwartz said. "Have you seen the latest cell phones, with color screens and keyboards and cameras? That's the way it'll go."

Sure, and they'll just jump at giving Sun monopoly control over it, like the Tooth Fairy.

[Bush2000]

Sure, and they'll just jump at giving Sun monopoly control over it, like the Tooth Fairy.

It's Sun's wetdream. And the reason they want to put Java on everything from cellphones to washing machines to toasters. The reason they're bailing on Liberty is that they don't see a percentage in it.

[AaronAnderson]

The Liberty Alliances specification is based on SAML 1.0, an open OAISIS standard released barely a month ago. Contrary to popular belief, there are other platforms besides M$ that will be able to benefit from a vendor agnostic federated authentication mechanism.

As for schwartz's statement, it goes without saying that any technology ported to windoze will not be as well accepted as a native m$ equivalent. Given that M$ built windoze meaning their developers are privy to all public and private code and have the ability to enhance it for a given product, it would be practically impossible to evenly compete with them on their own turf.

[Bush2000]

The Liberty Alliances specification is based on SAML 1.0, an open OAISIS standard released barely a month ago.

Liberty can base their spec on anything they want. The fact of the matter is that nobody is going to use it. AOL isn't going to lead the charge to provide interop with other services. Sun can't make a business base for it in the current environment.