For most users I talk to, an email address (rather than a URL) is how they think of identifying themself in a cross-system way. Orienting the spec around that would have made a huge difference.
Were there HCI experts a big part of the community that put together the vision and architecture? How diverse (tech background, language, age) was the original community? Both of those are areas that could have made a big difference.
It remains a great vision, so hopefully people will continue to work on it.
> For most users I talk to, an email address (rather than a URL)
Hits nail on head. It's unbelievable how dumb geeks who try to design UX experiences can be (and I say this as one of them). The first day I saw OpenID I was amazed that anybody would try and use a URL as an identifier.
Why would anybody put something that no normal person understands front and center of their UX? This is like opening a shoe shop and putting a quiz about 2nd order differential equations on the front door. Guess what - nobody is going into your store!!!
It was already a huge challenge to get people to understand the concept of using a login from one site to login to another. But it was doomed from the start the minute someone said you should have "http:// in front of your username.
It uses your email address, and seems to offer a good way to get access to an OpenID-like sign in (maybe this is using OpenID or OAuth under the covers?)
It looks like WebFinger is not really an authentication system but functions more like a user profile. It lets someone know what music you listen too, or what programming language(s) you know but it doesn't prove that you are you.
Were there HCI experts a big part of the community that put together the vision and architecture? How diverse (tech background, language, age) was the original community? Both of those are areas that could have made a big difference.
It remains a great vision, so hopefully people will continue to work on it.