Tuesday, December 30, 2003
A first furrow upon the burrow
Ken Coar's Rodent's Burrow celebrates its first birthday. Ken's a hacker of senior standing. That's one reason he can toss off a line like, I wrote my own blogging software...
Roadmap to DRM Peace?
At Linux Journal, Leonardo Chiariglione announces Call For Submissions: Digital Media Project. Can a digital rights management (DRM) standard support the rights that users have in traditional media? The Digital Media Project is planning the first conference to bring DRM architects and user rights experts together.
At the Digital Media Project site, Leonardo observes,
Ten years after Digital Media have first been deployed, the Digital Media Revolution isnot happening...
There are no examples of companies who are thriving because of Digital Media, certainly not to the extent other Digital Technology companies have.
Some end users may get benefits sometimes - but only if they flout the rules.
So Leonardo has a plan that's interesting (at least to me) for two reasons: 1) He puts forth concrete steps all interested parties can take; and 2) He insists on conversation as a means to an agreeable end.
Here's the Call for Submissions.
Eve'ning
From Lou Josephs: New Years Eve on the Web 2003. All kinds of radio from everywhere.
DishPeeVee
I'm a Dish Network customer. Happy, mostly.
Anyway, my bookkeeper is here today, asking questions about bills and stuff. One is about the Dish bill. Is it bigger? Not sure. So I thought I'd check my account on the company's Web site. Adding to my curiousity is a message on the home page that reads "When will cable companies stop raising your rates?" I'm thinking, Did you guys go and raise my rates?
Of course I have to register as customer on the Web site. Appears I never did that before. But every time I try I get back a page titled "Weblogic Bridge Message" that says "Failure of server APACHE bridge," with additional techno arcana.
Repeatedly.
Already I've spent more time on their Web site today than I'm likely to spend watching their service on TV.
[Later...] Okay, after much trying, I finally got authorized and into the system. I can see what I'm paying, what's due, the last payment date and other necessary but insufficient information. What am I paing for, exactly? ... Okay, I finally found it.
So many ways to pay, and to add programming, and so few just to find out a few basic facts. And by a system that loads sooo slllooowwwlllyy....
Nag, nag.
Living larger
Paul Boutin on cutting the cord:
If range rather than speed is your issue, buy the discontinued Linksys WSB24 Wireless-B Signal Booster and a Linksys 802.11b base, rather than the new 54G model. I use this setup to cover a 4-story, 21-unit loft building, plus the roof, plus half the block outside (I parked it in front of a 3rd-floor window).
I have the new 54G model, and it has significantly less range, for the 802.11b clients that use it, than another 802.11b unit I've had for several years. It's not a huge deal, but it's surprising. One expects new generations of products to be better in some respects and equal in others; but not worse.
Blophesies
Bryan Field-Elliot in Made in America:
Thinking surreally and emotionally about the migration of IT jobs overseas, here's a wacky prediction for 2004: Websites will start sporting "Made in America" logos.
Eric Norlin in Doc gettin me riled up:
yes, the corporate world is scratching an itch. will it work on a customer facing implementation? well, i think we're gonna find out cuz several big ones are coming in 04.......but here's a hint: there's a major bank (that i'd bet many of you Californians use) that has already used SAML to tie logins at 5 of their website properties together (ie FEDERATION OF ACCOUNTS) -- have you heard of any huge backlash? nope. what's happened? they're sending 2mm individuals per day through identity protocols -- and no one seems to be complaining.
Still, we're talking about some big moles here
In The Molehills of Identity, Bryan Field-Elliot offers some highly knowing inside perspective on the matter of digital identity standards creation that I wrote about yesterday.
First, he does the best job I've seen yet at a nutshell description of how digital identity works, conceptually:
XML provides structure.
PKI adds authenticity and trust.
Protocols describe how to publish and consume the stuff.
Databases on the back-end map it to human interests - blog entries, identity attributes, whatever.
GUIs on the front-end let people interact with it - browsers, news aggregators, etc.
Wrap it all up and tie a bow on it.
If you used red wrapping paper, call it SAML.
Blue, Liberty Protocol.
Green, WS-Security and WS-Federation.
White, Atom or RSS.
Then he puts the whole thing in a conversational context (with Cluetrain in the "marketplace" link):
Yes, there is confusion and indecision over feature priority at the start of every innovation curve.
But it's not the Right vs. the Left, or the BigCo's vs. the Everyman. It's just Betamax vs. VHS. And eventually, it will sort itself out.
In the end, it's the app servers, database interfaces, permission expression and consent acquisition schemes, Your Grandma's PKI and ACL Console, and the like which are where the real complexities lie. These problems will likely have the same solution patterns, regardless of the protocol they're implementing.
By contrast, the protocols for "getting in and out", are just the top layer, and a relatively simple one at that.
For me (as a software developer), the diversity and contention of different protocols isn't a war. It's just more work.
Excellent wrapup (pun intended).
Still, my points were more about where the conversations are take place, and among whom, and the differences between the two.
When I look at syndication & notification, I see a lot talk by individuals and small organizations. When I look at digital identity, I see larger animals, on the whole. Or maybe just less blogular conversation.
I think it has to do with scratching itches. Here in the blog world, syndication and notification are big deals already. Much rubber is meeting many individual roads. And few of us are feeling the need to widen those roads with digital identity infrastructure. Meanwhile, big companies are feeling keenly the need for that infrastructure. And the fact that they're taking the lead on this thing makes me want more of us who aren't big companies to engage them in the marketplace.
The endless story
In Does the End Justify the Means, Ken Camp at Digital Common Sense offers some thoughtful responses to (mostly arguments against) World of Ends.
Later, if I have time (which I don't right now), I'll respond. Meanwhile, it's good to see the essay continues to provoke discussion.