ClickPass released, one login less
Written on March 12, 2008 – 2:01 pm
Chris Obdam, Internet entrepreneur
Last night ClickPass has launched. ClickPass is a single-click-signon service that works on top of OpenID. The extra service that ClickPass offers is that you don’t have to remember your OpenID account, Clickpass does that for you. ClickPass is a Y Combinator start-up, which probably explains why some of the other Y startups already support their service.
You can use ClickPass to combine your logins for the services you use, like LiveJournal and WordPress. For each service ClickPass generates a new account which connects to the services account.
ClickPass is not without controversies, it makes use of the OpenID standard but adds a new ‘user discovery service’ on top of it. That service is not based on a standard. OpenID advocates would have liked to see ClickPass adopt a discovery standard like ‘SAML idp discovery’. ClickPass has not reacted on that. This issue will probably soon be addressed since OpenID’s chairmember, Scott Kveton, is also a member of the ClickPass board.
Besides not adopting standards ClickPass has some other downsides. The power of OpenID is that it’s a standard, not a service. ClickPass uses OpenID to create single server sign-on situation. You will always stay dependent to ClickPass for your login services, while in the standard OpenID situation you can easily migrate to another OpenID provider. Of course does the single server/service situation delivers the ease that SinglePass brings, with SinglePass there is no need to provide your OpenID URL. That is made possible because there is only one SinglePass.
But SinglePass attracts more attention to the OpenID protocol and fills the gap that lies in the User Experience part of OpenID. Peter Nixey’s and Immad Akhund have designed a well thought through service with a well designed UI. At the moment, according their website, four services are supported. Another next step has set in the authentication revolution.
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By Robert Gaal on Mar 12, 2008
I don’t get this service. OpenID is great because it’s decentralized, and now this makes it centralized again? I can see how this could add clarity for the user, but it solves a solution, not a problem.
By Bob Boynton on Mar 12, 2008
If every site i use regularly offers me OpenID but does not accept the OpenID of anyone else we have not made much progress. As far as I can tell that is pretty much the current situation. One can have lots and lots of OpenIDs, but having one is not much help.
That is the problem Clickpass is trying to solve. I signed up; it was very easy. However, there are only four sites that accept a Clickpass OpenID, and I do not use any of them regularly.
OpenID surely is not going to go anywhere until the providers also become acceptors.
By Menno van der Sman on Mar 12, 2008
I think I’ll stick to Sxipper. Sxipper is an OpenID provider, as well as a browserplugin. The plugin remembers my normal account and my OpenID and autofills forms for me. Saves me a lot of clicks and time.
By David Weston on Mar 13, 2008
I’d personally steer clear of browser plugins like Sxipper that hardwire my passwords to my machine. The Clickpass solution is much more elegant, is standards-based, and I personally think this one could be a game-changer. I’ve already started using it on several sites, whether through their own tight one-click integration or just via the more basic OpenID URL that they provide.
I’ve just looked back at it, and it seems clear to me that you’re not *forced* to use them as your OpenID provider. In fact they specifically explain that you can remain with your own provider. However, their implementation is so much easier that it just makes life even easier when you do.
No pain, plenty of gain. Good luck Clickpass!
By slangasaur.us on Jul 20, 2008
as a developer who is always looking for ways to cut out the fat in the login process for users, this looks pretty convenient, is there an API out for ruby on rails, or some other way i can tap into this applications potential in my projects??