Re: [Auth]The simplest thing that can possibly work

[John]

Ron Burk wrote:
> The only reason Passport has not already won the server-side
> installed base war is that it requires an SDK. A web page flunky
> cannot single-handedly start using Passport -- they have to get
> help/permission from an administrator. If dotGNU starts
> out with similar requirements, good luck ever catching up. If you
> want to do something grand, you better do something really
> simple and useful ASAP to get your foot in the door, IMO.

There's four sides to the DotGNU equation, and here you've hit on one.

1) The DataBank - people who will store data for
2) Customers - clients, web-browsers, surfers, geeks, lusers, call them
what you will, but don't slag them too hard.
3) Content Producers - these are the people you address: Sara the
webmistress whose total depth of experience is cutting a site with
Dreamweaver or FrontPage or Word (yup, they exist. I've had to unmuddle
their work).
4) Service Providers - the guys who write the apps built on DotGNU,
presumably a subset of us. Eventually though we need the influence of
*existing* providers.

The plug-in you address is useless without an infrastructure behind it.
If we hit any three of these with any significance, we can expect
penetration in the fourth. So, you'd say to address the content
producers?

Which should we choose as the other two we'll need in order to
successfuly grab the fourth?

Androids do not dream electric sheep, but electric sheep dream nuclear
grass.

John Le'Brecage