OpenID server coming along…
I’m now quite close to having a (functioning!) OpenID identity provider server up and running. I’m using the JOID OpenID api and has been fairly easy to set up. What I’ve created is based on their example server application, but I’ve changed to using a database as the store and made the interface a bit prettier! I came across a couple of little issues, for example with logging in to LiveJournal, but managed to get these fixed up without too much hassle – the problems/queries I’ve had are posted up on the JOID-dev maillist – so I won’t repeat them all here.
The last few bits for me to finish off are allowing users to update their profile and to reset passwords, once that’s done I’ll post up the URL so people can have a play. Then I’ll be on to the task of allowing users to log into MSG using their OpenIDs 
Hooley, dooley, At last. So I won’t have to remember a password when logging on here any more?
This really is the beginnings of Open 1 to 8 don’t you think? So does this mean we can start looking at twinning with other silos? And I don’t mean just doing basics like having the same conversation in different silos. I mean can we start talking about you and your peers considering sharing boxes and our communities sharing their apps? E.g. http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/ And maybe with those institutions that Patrick can see as logical OU partners?
Looking forward. The WikiFoundation is having a hell of a time coming up with a common login for all their projects. You can imagine what it’s like when you’ve got 46 m people/ month spread across the world, all wishing they didn’t have to replicate user ID’s.
I promised them i would talk to a few institutions about ‘partnering’. And my only use to the academic space is showing how a buck is made and new industries get started, so next year should be an interesting one. Certainly make a nice change from watching the crap we have to watch on Broadcast TV in the antipodes.
Have good Christmas. Please give my regards to Patrick. And let’s agree that next year we will work on getting old farts like Marc to spend at least a few hours ‘tapping triangles’ around the virtual spaces as opposed to ‘blowing tubas’ in the real ones. All the best.