Assuming I understand things correctly, it seems like what we're calling a
canonical URL in this thread is really a pseudo-canonical URL since a given
OpenID's XRDS doc is what specifies the Canonical ID.

If in 50 years, a given canonical URL domain goes away, then couldn't a
given OpenId URL owner simply specify a new Canonical URL in his XRDS doc?
If so, then It seems like there's almost a (in a good way) circular
reference going on, since at certain points in time, what we're calling the
"Canonical URL" is the unchanging/stable/authoritative URL, while at other
times, the actual OpenID is the authoritative/unchanging/stable URL.

In this setup, I a given person has to control 2 URL's at the same time in
order to assert ownership of a given OpenID, making it difficult to lose
your Identity if you lose only a single domain.  In this respect, each URL
provides a safeguard against the loss of the other URL.


On 6/8/07, Dick Hardt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

You are still trusting one registry. Of course it is your choice, but
you have a single point of failure. Do you think they will still be
around in 50 years?

On 8-Jun-07, at 4:20 PM, Recordon, David wrote:

> I don't see how it requires a centralized registry, if I choose to
> trust
> that LiveJournal, or some ugly URL from AOL, etc will never go away
> then
> that is my choice.
>
> --David
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
> Behalf Of Dick Hardt
> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 4:08 PM
> To: Drummond Reed
> Cc: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: Do We Agree on the Problem We're Trying to Solve?
>
>
> On 8-Jun-07, at 4:00 PM, Drummond Reed wrote:
>
>>
>>>> Drummond Reed wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Multiple, redundant identifiers is what canonical ID mapping
>>>> provides. It
>>>> doesn't require a master directory; it's as distributed as OpenID
>>>> itself,
>>>> i.e., it simply provides a way to map a reassignable URL or XRI
>>>> to a
>>>> persistent URL or XRI.
>>>
>>> Dick Hardt wrote:
>>>
>>> The persistent URL or XRI *is* a master directory. What do you do
>>> when the persistent identifier is compromised, goes out of
>>> business ...
>>>
>>> That is problem B.
>>>
>>> Canonical IDs do not solve B.
>>
>> I completely agree that B is a hard problem. However Canonical IDs
>> solve B
>> if the identifier authority for the Canonical ID follows business and
>> operational practices intended to solve B.
>
> And I think there is a solution that does not require a single,
> central registry.
>
> One of the other issues with the registry is it is challenging to
> provide directed identities.
>
> -- Dick
>
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>
>

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