Open-Source ID Project Awaits Microsoft's Blessing 45
An anonymous reader writes to mention that an open-source alternative to Microsoft's CardSpace tool has been on hold for months while they await patent blessing from the Redmond software giant. "While CardSpace is available on Windows, one goal of the Higgins project is to cover other operating systems. Higgins wants to offer an open-source alternative that works on Windows and on alternatives such as Linux and Mac OS X. The application would work similarly to CardSpace."
stop waiting, just do it (Score:4, Interesting)
Never mind waiting for an ok on a patent license, I waited for over a year for
Fraunhofer/Thomson to get of their asses but unless you are hitachi or so they
will simply ignore you.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course I'm glad I'm not them. It's easy to tell others to stand up to a wall of lawyers than to do it myself.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The 'coin' in open source very often is the recognition, similar to the recognition
academics get for their work.
There was a movement called 'ego-less' programming about two decades ago that tried
to get people to not be so defensive about their mistakes, quite possibly you've hit
the nail quite accurately about *2* things that may be fundamental problems with OSS.
the first is the inability of certain developers to change tack because they become
so attached to 'their' soluti
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
If takes a lot to work on something for years then hand it over and watch someone do something *completely different* with it.
Some are never able to do that - I've worked at a place where the boss wrote the first version of the software and absolutely everything - right down to bug fixes - had to be approved by him. Then he'd go away at the weekend and rewrite half of it... badly...
Re: (Score:1)
As usual, clulessness abounds (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What happens if uses loses control over a token? (Score:1)
What happens if user downloads and installs.. hm.. a shareware program, which, pretending doing its internet updates, sends the tokens found on a PC to someone else?
Re:What happens if uses loses control over a token (Score:2)
The cards are stored on an encrypted portion of the disk which can ONLY be accessed by the CardSpace user account. If you install
That's because that control panel item ONLY runs under an account specifically designed to manage the cards, and ONLY that account has the encryption keys needed to unlock the disks.
Re: (Score:2)
I actually attended an MSDN event last week, and CardSpace as one of the topics. Its goal is similar to Passport, which the presenter admitted failed. They also know why they failed; because no one wanted to give MS all their personal information when MS wasn't involved in the transaction in any way.
MS WANTS others to implement this, and the whole thing is built on web service standards. CardSpace is just the card manager / selector on Windows; the
Re: (Score:2)
Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, I know Microsoft loves to talk a lot about interoperability with OSS projects, but most of it seems to be PR-driven rather than reality-driven.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
They are a bit backed in however, because they have to make it look like they're interested in interop, because everyone wants interop.
The prime example is the Novell deal, which is apparently made out of interop. But if they were actually interested in interop, they might actually start publishing some specificat
Re: (Score:1)
The CardSpace cards idea is backed by others, including Sun. All the technology it uses is standard WS-* specifications. The only proprietary part is the Card Selector interface, which each OS needs to develop for themselves. I was even shown the Html tags that Firefox would need to interperate to know it needed to deal with the CardSpace.
As another example, by default, VS 2005 Asp.net projects target strict Xhtml 1.1; all th
Re: (Score:2)
Play with standards is right.
When MS does interop, it is under their terms. For example, they won't help the Samba project one shred, and go out of their way to make their SMB protocol more confusing to hinder (or "fuck with", as one MS engineer was apparently quoted as saying) Samba.
They refuse to work with the ODF format. It doesn't play by their rules.
But if MS is dictating the terms, sure we'll interop then. That's why they
Binding? (Score:5, Interesting)
I think the MAD principle is still what's holding back a patent war in the US (plus a hot and heavy patent fight harmful to the industry might spur software patent reform) and I can't see why Microsoft, as a corporate entity, should be trusted in the least.
Plus, the principle of legal intimidation is still all that is really needed here, not actual victory in a patent case - most open source projects don't have the resources to defend themselves from even a non-valid challenge. That's why MAD is effective where even legal safety might not be - sort of a "don't beat up on the weak kid or you'll start a brawl" effect.
The problem with open source in a legal sense (at least in the US) is that open source volunteer projects need some condition where they CAN'T be sued, and as I understand it that simply isn't possible under the US legal system where anyone can sue anyone else for anything. The suit may not be valid but until that's decided it can go ahead in any case and the accused MUST respond or risk a default judgement against them. Patents make being on unshakable ground impossible in general for anything nontrivial, and once a project is deprived of the ability to assume an absolutly invulnerable position (except not doing the project) the waters get murky fast.
Actually, the alternative is Microsoft (Score:2)
sure... (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Shhh! Keep it down, you'll offend the Catholics, you insensitive clod!
Here's how you get MS's blessing... (Score:3, Funny)
3) put proceeds in a bank account, offshore, anonymously if possible, or hide it real well somewhere (bury the gold bullion somewhere)
4) violate the patent by promoting your project
5) sleep every night in a different location. Do not repeat a location unless you've been to at least 364 other locations previously (or better yet, 364*2+1)
6) be prepared to move to a warm location like San Diego, Mexico, Hawaii, where you can bum on the street while your project takes off, becomes so big and gains eventual acceptance like anti-DRM-ed media is about to.
Somewhere along the way, if you are married, divorce your wife, pay her alimony till she gets a job, and leave some cash for the children. Only in this 'revolutionary' manner will you get a blessing from MS. Of course, whether you should do this, is entirely up to your imagination.
Re:Here's how you get MS's blessing... (Score:5, Funny)
This is just a warning.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Good luck with that. (Score:2)
Why do you need blessing? (Score:2)
Could probably research this myself, but I'm lazy (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Could probably research this myself, but I'm la (Score:1)
Ask the EC for help (Score:2)
So does this mean Microsoft is Inventive? (Score:2)
Microsofts Blessing (Score:3, Interesting)
They want to CTA because... (Score:2)