Linux.com: Introduction to OpenID

"OpenID is an open decentralized digital identity system that has been gaining traction in recent months. It implements a solution to some everyday headaches such as single-sign-on, but it does not address related issues like privacy, trust, spam prevention, or message authentication. OpenID uses a multiple-stage sign-on process, but don't let that discourage you. As an end user, the benefits are stacked in your favor.

"As the most basic level, your OpenID identity is a unique URL. It can be a URL that you directly control (such as that of your personal Web page or blog) or one provided to you by a third-party service, such as an OpenID provider. In that sense, a site's use of OpenID identities is no different than using email addresses as identifiers: they are unique to each user and are verifiable. But you can publicly display an OpenID identity without attracting spam..."

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