On 5-Oct-06, at 9:16 AM, David King wrote:
We already have something that can uniquely identify someone, and
these
sites already require users to give it to them. What's that, you
ask? Why
it's an email address.
Sure, an email address has one person, but a person can have many
email addresses, and a person occasionally gains and loses email
addresses.
Funnily enough the "one email address == one person" is also not
always true. I know plenty of people who have a home email address
that they share. Now the number of those where they both want to sign
up for the same site/service might not be that high. but it seems
crazy to impose limits like that.
Since none of my current email addresses worked in the "I forgot my
password, please email it to me" form, I eventually decided that
they didn't want my money in exchange for goods and/or services,
and left.
A problem I've had a few times since coming to Canada (and being here
only for 6 months so far, don't have a Canadian credit card, only my
New Zealand ones) of online retailers not wanting my money*. I find
it very satisfying to email them and explain that while sadly they
don't want my money, someone else does. So they can have it.
* not technically a software hate - the card will authorise, delivery
& statement address are the same (both in Canada), but then will get
an email a day or so later saying "Oh, that's not a North American
card. We don't want your money. Please go away."
