Forum Moderators: open
....we are providing limited access to an API for an OpenID identity provider that is based on the user experience research of the OpenID community. Websites can now allow Google Account users to login to their website by using the OpenID protocol. We hope the continued evolution of both the technical features of OpenID, as well as the improvements in user experience. will lead to a solution that can be widely deployed for federated login. One of the companies using this new service is www.zoho.com. Raju Vegesna at ZoHo says that "We now offer all our users the ability to login to ZoHo using their Google Account to avoid the need to create yet another login and password."The initial version of the API will use the OpenID 2.0 protocol to enable websites to validate the identity of a Google Account user, including the optional ability to request the user's e-mail address.
It may be the backstory, and directly related to a WebmasterWorld post re: plans for release of MS-Office apps online, (see: [webmasterworld.com...] )
To follow along with my train of though, you also need to read: [cio.com.au...]
Especially the quote near the end of the article by ZOHO ceo Sridhar Vembu...
While Vembu wants to remain independent, he says "never say never" about a possible acquisition in the future. Microsoft would be an unlikely candidate, for the mere reason that they'd prefer to build a Web-based productivity suite based on Office files. Google, on the other hand, could be a compelling option if they feel they have fallen sufficiently behind Zoho in functionality and don't want to build it themselves.
- July 31, 2008, CEO Magazine
That I think is the backstory ---
Google + Zoho = MS-Office killer
I instantly felt like I was in Googl-onia when I logged into ZOHO.. it's got the colors, look, feel -- and even the scent, texture and culture of Google (and Google Apps) written all over it... but better.
You instantly feel organized, and ready to be productive. Zoho is not some back of the pack straggler or wannabee -- they have a solid piece of work there, and they know it.
Whether by acquistion, partnership or some other symbiotic business relationship Zoho appears to be leaning towards the Google camp in a way that makes using MS-Office, online or off feel like driving your father's station wagon to the prom.
ZOHO is a company to be watched -- and not in the .COM day-trader sense of "one to watch", but in the "way to do it right" sense of the phrase.
Which of the half dozen different Google account login's I have should I use? Of all the websites I'd ever been a "regular" on, Google is the only place I NEED to have multiple login's because they can't keep things organized for me under one login.
Really? My one Google account seems to work fine for everything.
update: they approved me, yay!
[edited by: amznVibe at 8:40 am (utc) on Oct. 31, 2008]
same, I just have one account.
Re: multiple Google logins. If you've been using Adsense, Adwords and other Google services for more than a few years -- when they rolled out Adwords and Adsense, you HAD TO create separate logins for each, (you would get a message, to the effect: "Login already exists").. and HAVE TO create another account.
After a couple years, they asked users to link together some accounts, (can't really remember which ones), but at that point I had created:
An Adsense account I use for Adsense
An Adwords account I use for myself
An adwords account for a customer
A Google Sites account
A Google DOCs account
A google groups account
A gmail account
I emailed Google supports several times trying to consolidate these accounts, but got replies that they didn't have a way to do that, that I would have to create a new account and sign up for the services again... at that point I had numerous sites configured in my Webaster Tools under one login, my longstanding Adsense data and ad setups under another, an a gmail account I didn't want to tie to either. At this point, I'm used to logging in to each to do what I need to do.
There was also a tracking / cookie issue, of not wanting to have all my web activity under a single tracking cookie for Google to have the ability to profile.
If you are saying that you can now create (1) google account and have gmail, adwords, adsense, google sites, Google groups, Youtube, Picassa, google docs, and everything else they offer -- that's nice, but I don't know that I'd even want it.
Logging onto various foreign sites with your Google account password seems risky over time. I bet some fisherman is going figure out how to capture that information eventually.
Still not convinced how useful OpenID is, but in this day and age of people not liking to give out their email address, it does give you an alternative to enforcing accounts vs. anonymous access.
