eBay Retires MS Passport Sign-In

fihzy writes "eBay have announced they will retire Microsoft Passport Sign-In and .NET alerts. The Microsoft Passport Directory of Sites has been discontinued, too. Is Microsoft's Single Sign-On vision edging towards oblivion?"

In Other shocking news...

[herbert_axelrod]

All editors at the slashdot camp are sporting wood right now pending this wonderful M$ news!

Edging into oblivion?

[douthitb]

Did I miss something? Was Microsoft's single sign-on vision ever in danger of becoming main stream?

Microsoft Bob redux.

[Anonymous Coward]

enough said...

But...

[Seabass55]

...Bill Gates said... /me shrugs

LOL

[Anonymous Crowhead]

I read that as 'requires' instead of 'retires' and gleefully clicked on read more to see the frothing at the mouth that I assumed every single post would contain. What a disappointment.

A Directory Page revision for MS...

[BrynM]

.NET Passport - Directory of Site(s)

The .NET Passport service offers streamlined sign-in at a wide range of Web sites and services that are soley owned by Microsoft.

We have discontinued our Site Directory because nobody really trusts us and few people really care, but you'll know when you can use your Passport to make sign-in easier and the marketing data more easily collected. Just look for the .NET Passport Sign In button! We have one at least. You can use the Passport account you created to get us to stop bothering you about it after your Windows or Microsoft Office install process. One day, the powerful Passport login will give you exclusive access to Security Patches, Updates and Service Packs. Why not get used to it now?

Wait a second...

[iamzack]

What is this E-bay?

Re:nope

[M.C. Hampster]

Insightful? Give me a break.

Yeah, I'm sure that eBay and Amazon want to make sure they limit all of their customer base to only those people running a brand new OS. Sure.

And in case you didn't realize, the system you are describing is already built into Windows XP. It's name? Microsoft Passport. You can tie your Windows account directly into your Passport account so you don't have to login. Look how well that's worked.

Please, try to learn a little more about what you are talking about before making some stupid comment. Of course, if you're after karma, all you need to do is say something conspiratorial about M$ and you'll be fine.

Yes, yes it is and here's why

[Weaselmancer]

Is Microsoft's Single Sign-On vision edging towards oblivion?

Yes, the MS single sign on is going away and here's why. Anyone from Redmond reading this, listen up.

Microsoft is not the Internet.

I know, I know it's hard to believe...but it's true. The online community is actually *much larger* than Microsoft's vision for it.

This is why "embrace and extend" (and then make incompatible) keeps failing as a strategy.

Re:Bad idea, implementation irrelevant.

[MagPulse]

based on data resident on a machine administered so incompetently as to have six types of spyware and four spammer worms on it because the underlying operating system is as secure as swiss cheese.

Can you provide a link to a story about this?

One compromise, multiple 0wnz

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope not, I so liked the idea of having one login that if compromised would allow access to multiple sites for multiple micheiveous activities. This is why I used my .NET passport like I use the air I breathe, all the time.

Please say it ain't so! How else can I be throroughly humiliated with just one account being cracked?

lets see

[Anonymous Coward]

how about i let a convicted corporate crimminal hold all my personal information, including user name & password, creditcard names/expiration dates/account numbers...

does that sound like a good idea to you???

it would be a really really cold day in hell before i let the likes of a greedy corporation such as M$FT have any of my personal info...

Re:Edging into oblivion?

[Anonymous Coward]

Monopoly trumps mediocrity on a regular basis.

Emperor Bill's 19th bid for world rule fails...

[leonbrooks]

...film at eleven.

So, what's he going to do next? Build ShortHorn into every telephone?

Re:Yes, yes it is and here's why

[ajp]

Likewise, Slashdot is NOT the computer marketplace. Which is why anyone from Redmond reading this doesn't give a crap.

As for me, I would like a reasonable and optional single signon. Yes, I have a passport because my nephew uses Messenger and they made me get one for that. But I also have a bunch of low-security usernames and passwords. My slashdot ID, for example, is protected with a weak password. Go ahead. Crack it. Ruin my life.

Re:As if

[upsidedown_duck]

I'll let you guess at how much we told them was implemented or fixed...

17.3%? Too high?

Re:Why should Ebay play along?

[venkatu]

this is what comes to mind ...

"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Ad
"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer" - Adolf Hitler

man whoever that put this together is just a genius ;-)

Bizarre side-effect

[GregWebb]

When I saw this, I thought 'hang on, I can now register for an account!'. No, hang on, this makes sense...

Much of my office communicates using MSN Messenger. I don't like it but never mind... I had never signed up for an account because, with Passport around, I didn't want to provide them with the slightest additional encouragement and blip in their userbase statistics that might help persuade another site to join their unholy alliance. Now that possibility appears thoroughly dead, I can sign up for one in peace and be able to send quick messages to colleagues more efficiently than through e-mail.

eBay never gave it much credence

[Anonymous Coward]

I always got a chuckle when I went to log in to eBay. They had their secure login OR you could log in with your .NET passport if you preferred.

Only 200 comments on this article

[kraksmoka]

proves that passport is so dead nobody even cares to flame it anymore! yaay!