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Passport for Linux On the Way

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the contain-your-enthusiasm dept.

mrsam writes "PCWorld reports that Microsoft comissioned Ready-to-Run Software, a small software vendor, to port the Passport server software to Solaris, Red Hat Linux, AIX, and HPUX. Oh, joy."

4 of 340 comments (clear)

  1. not surprising by DrSkwid · · Score: 4, Informative

    what will be surprising is that once the fist iteration is shipped Microsoft keeps the updates flowing - Frontpage extensions for Apache on Unix anyone?

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    1. Re:not surprising by GweeDo · · Score: 5, Informative

      These have been around for quite some time. I have had to install both the Frontpage 2000 and the new Frontpage XP (I think that is ext 5.0) on a linux box running apache. The interesting thing to note is that Ready to Run ported these as well. Seems like Microsoft likes them for their porting for crappy software. The FP extentions really suck to install, they required you to give apache greater privledges then it deserves over certain directories...but what do we know...I am sure Microsoft has a good reason for make FP seem like a huge security hole!

      --
      Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
  2. Yawn by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 4, Informative
    Old news guys. There has been an Apache/Linux module for Passport for years. At Digital ID World 2002 I chatted with some of the Passport guys, and pretty cool they are too. They told me that they were going to rewrite it, as they didn't have many (read, any) skilled Linux coders, and their present Apache implementation sucked dogs balls.

    Second point, so what? Passport has practically zero penetration, even less since the screwed over doristheflorist.com and removed the Wallet functionality (for being unnecessary bloat). Now don't me wrong, I'm sure MS will push Passport until it gets bigger and better, but at the moment that isn't an issue.

    Final point, digital identity is a good idea, and the world will be an easier and more secure place for those who want it to be when we can have digital identities. So, what are we doing about it?

    The PingID project is developing an open royalty free set of protocols, with an open source (though unfortunately non-free) reference implementation of the server. This will be something you can download and install onto your server for free, that will then let you sign in to various accounts that support the protocols, manage your personal document store and any authorizations you have given out (at least, in the beginning). The url is pingid.org but I'm not linking to it, because we're going to be putting up a new site that more accurately reflects the new open source nature of the project in like 3 or 4 days, so I don't want people to go look and go "huh, he was talking out of his ass". Code for v0.1 will be coming in a few weeks hopefully, I get paid to hack on it part time. Join the mailing lists to help out and track its progress. So far, this is really the only open answer to digital identity we've found, so I'm pretty glad I'm a part of it :)

  3. Re:One good turn deserves another by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 4, Informative
    I believe we in the Linux community should return the favor, and port Wine to Windows.

    [grin] I know it was joke, but just for future reference quite a few parts of Wine are now being developed on Windows, at it makes it easier to locate bugs. In theory, as they are recreating the DLLs, you can in fact drop in parts of the Wine project DLLs into Windows and have a semi-MS free Windows installation. Scary huh? :)