Avoid multiple login names with OpenID

I really like the idea of an open and decentralized standard which allows you to sign in to multiple websites without entering your username and password over and over again on every site that requires you to login to vote (digg.com), comment, or participate by other means.

It furthermore speeds up the registration process on websites that support it which many Internet users may like. Instead of having to enter the same registration information again on those sites, you simply sign in using the existing ID so that you bypass most of the registration requirements as you have already filled them out once previously when you have created your OpenID account.

Moreover, if you don't use a very unique username, most likely you'll sooner or later find out that your username has already been taken by someone else on a particular website. That forces you to choose another one and remember it or write it down. A good solution for storing such username password combinations for various services is KeePass but it doesn't resolve the problem of multiple logins. The solution to this may be OpenID.

You simply create your openID account at one of the official openID providers (e.g. myOpenID ) and after that you can sign in to all OpenID enabled sites without having to register first by selecting a username or password to do so.

You just provide your unique ID (username.openidprovider.tld) and that's it. It can be especially useful if you cannot use features such as Opera Wand or password managers.. One disadvantage is that the website must support it. However, the number of OpenID enabled sites is growing quite fast. Some of them are:

• ImageShack
• Technorati
• Ma.gnolia
• Crunchy
• Rootly

Another disadvantage is that if someone steals your identity, they could gain access to all of your accounts on connected websites. Does not make a difference for users who do use the same username and password on all sites though and as long as you select a - very - secure password, you should be save.

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