Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#1

Post by waterside81 » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 3:41 AM UTC

Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live
github.com

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#2

Post by moonboots » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 5:03 AM UTC

I'm not seeing how BrowserID differs from the standard email verification sign up. I went through the sign up process (enter email, click link in verification email, enter password, sign in with password). I also read Mozilla's 'really short version' explaining browserid (https://wiki.mozilla.org/Labs/Identity/VerifiedEmailProtocol) and will give the longer version a shot.

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#3

Post by RandallBrown » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 5:17 AM UTC

moonboots wrote: post #2

I'm not seeing how BrowserID differs from the standard email verification sign up. I went through the sign up process (enter email, click link in verification email, enter password, sign in with password). I also read Mozilla's 'really short version' explaining browserid ( https://wiki.mozilla.org/Labs/Identity/VerifiedEmailProtocol ) and will give the longer version a shot.

I think you only have to do the email verification one time. After that, you'll be able to log in to any BrowserID site without entering anything.

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#4

Post by cpeterso » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 5:52 AM UTC

What does BrowserID do that every existing OpenID provider cannot? The BrowserID FAQ says the architecture is "decentralized", but login relies on Mozilla's browserid.org server.

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#5

Post by decentralized » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 6:07 AM UTC

cpeterso wrote: post #4

What does BrowserID do that every existing OpenID provider cannot? The BrowserID FAQ says the architecture is "decentralized", but login relies on Mozilla's browserid.org server.

On the linked page it says:

"NOTE: You may choose to validate assertions on your own server. While a bit more complicated you can reduce your dependencies on others. Refer to the specification and the source for the reference validator."

So while it's easier to use their server, it appears it is entirely possible to implement without it. Perhaps in a few weeks, we will see some good implementations. As I understand, the main advantage over OpenID is that instead of needing a @ login, people can simply use an email address as their login. If all email providers supported OpenID, there would be little difference, but that has not happened (yet).

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#6

Post by resnamen » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 6:16 AM UTC

cpeterso wrote: post #4

What does BrowserID do that every existing OpenID provider cannot? The BrowserID FAQ says the architecture is "decentralized", but login relies on Mozilla's browserid.org server.

It provides a canonical identifier for your account without compromising your identity to BrowserID-enabled services. The OpenID spec divulges who you are.

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#7

Post by tomjen3 » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 6:20 AM UTC

Anything that means I won't have to use yet another password is a good thing.

However I fail to see how this is useful: no sites use it, because no users use it.

Let's not muddy the waters. Use openid. No excuses.

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#8

Post by wmf » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 6:32 AM UTC

tomjen3 wrote: post #7

Anything that means I won't have to use yet another password is a good thing. However I fail to see how this is useful: no sites use it, because no users use it. Let's not muddy the waters. Use openid. No excuses.

It looks like Firefox is not going to support OpenID, so any site that wants to take advantage of browser support will have to adopt BrowserID.

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#9

Post by tricolon » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 6:35 AM UTC

RandallBrown wrote: post #3

moonboots wrote: post #2

I'm not seeing how BrowserID differs from the standard email verification sign up. I went through the sign up process (enter email, click link in verification email, enter password, sign in with password). I also read Mozilla's 'really short version' explaining browserid ( https://wiki.mozilla.org/Labs/Identity/VerifiedEmailProtocol ) and will give the longer version a shot.

I think you only have to do the email verification one time. After that, you'll be able to log in to any BrowserID site without entering anything.

Indeed; I believe it authenticates your browser (or perhaps only your browser session?) across all BrowserID-using sites, drastically cutting down on the number of times you'd have to type in a password.

Re: Mozilla's BrowserID (single sign-on for the web) is live

#10

Post by unicornporn » Fri, Dec 16, 2011, 6:46 AM UTC

tomjen3 wrote: post #7

Anything that means I won't have to use yet another password is a good thing. However I fail to see how this is useful: no sites use it, because no users use it. Let's not muddy the waters. Use openid. No excuses.

I had to create an account a couple of days ago because it was the only way to log in to openphoto.me. Are there any clear differences between BrowserID and OpenID?