Why working with an open ID?

Question

What's the main advantage working with open ID?

Answer 1

Federated identity.

Answer 2

One account for many pages. Simple as that.

Answer 3

You let the user use the same account for many online services; easier for the user to maintain login/password in one place instead of n places. Also, you don't need to bother as much about protecting the users' passwords in a secure manner since you, well, don't store them.

Answer 4

It's good for the user:

• Fewer accounts to manage and passwords to maintain
• Log in once (to the Provider) on a computer, then log into all OpenID relying party web sites very easily without having to re-login, whether you're new to a web site or a returning visitor.

It's good for the web site to be an OpenID relying party:

• Lower the barrier to entry for new visitors to become members since OpenIDs are easier to login with than username/password, and users don't think "oh no, not another password to remember (or reuse)".
• Never worry about "I forgot my password" UI to maintain.
• Allow users to secure their login using InfoCard, X.509 certs, mere passwords, or whatever they want, but your site only has to support one login: OpenID

Answer 5

OpedID is a seriously good idea and I wish more people would use it. Especially forums. 90% of the time I need to sign up somewhere it's to post on some forum. Have you ever browsed over a forum and have this happen to you:

• find interesting thread that you would like to comment on
• click on register
• fill in username, email, email again, password, password again and anything else they want
• it tells me that username is already taken
• I abandon register process and try to log in because maybe I already registered here a long time ago and just forgot?
• my username is recognized but I can't remember the correct password
• go back to register page
• fill in username, email, email again, password, password again and anything else they want
• click submit and wait for the confirmation email is sent
• click activation link in email
• enter username/password after "you account has been activated" screen

...all to make on post on some forum I'm probably never visit again. With openID, it's just:

• enter nbv4.openid.com into textbox
• click on "Accept", or if I already signed up there, it just logs me in.

So easy and so convenient. It sucks that there are a lot of developers who are afraid to go all out with it because they are afraid of joe schmoe users getting confused. As long as you have a nice interface set up (such as the one SO uses), you'll be fine. The site I administer has over 500 users and about 80% are signed up with either a yahoo or gmail email anyways, so most of the time thats not going to be a problem either.