Hello PJ,
Sorry that this will become slightly off the NOVL topic ... but it is in a very related subject area of directories ... and I think it is of great value to Novell, or any company that truly starts to examine the use of directories and the exchange of personal information ...
> Scott - help! I can see something of your vision but not understand
> a few concepts involved --
So one of the things that I do when trying to view the evolution of "silicon" technology, is to examine the "biologically" evolved equivalents. We are the product of countless iterations of humans, and the processes and procedures that we use are similarly evolved. So I try not to look at how technology can be used, but instead how the things that we do can be improved by technology.
> Personal LDAP servers will need to be connected to the internet at
> all times for me to access "personalized" directory information no?
No. Not in "my world" ... ;-)
If you look around us in the world today, we already use the a wide range of processes and procedures to manage our personal information and identities. (i.e. applying for a credit card, changing our mailing address, buying alcohol, etc.) Even if we are not "present" the various people who need our identity information, already have copies of that information that are "good enough" for their purposes. Think of this as "loose replication" of information. When I change something like my address, the biggest problem is making sure that everyone, that needs to know my address is kept up to date. This appears to be a daunting task ... and can be solved with two solutions at a minimum.
One way is to say that my personal information *always* has to be accessed from a single "definitive" source. In this case it's what you are thinking ... that my "personal directory" would have to always be accessible so that people could access information that I have given them "rights" to see.
Another way to solve this would be to do what we do today ... keep ourselves our own "definitive" source of all our personal information, in our personal directory, and then publish copies of our information to each other through common "communities" that we both belong to.
The rules for publishing information are controlled by me, the owner of the information, and I set these up as I "join" that community. For example, a community that asks for my e-mail address, phone number, and address, might cause me to be asked a series of questions: Do I want to give this information? Do I want to override any of the current values? Do I want to keep this "community" updated whenever I change my personal information? Do I want to be asked when the time comes?
So once these "communities" start to form, both public and private versions will exist that are always connected to the 'net ... and so my information would be shared and always available.
(NOTE: This also means that I *could* give direct access to my personal directory to friends and family ... but they would only be able to get to it when it was on the 'net. But that is why I would replicate it to my "home server" which will always be connected ... ;-)
> Unless your reference to Personal Web Server is just a convienent
> way to express an idea. I can use the Personal WebServer to
> create a personalize website but that information is only available
> to me if I'm sitting at the PC or that PC is connected to the
> internet.
So I cannot speak for Novell and what they are writing, and what their Personal Directory will or will not do. Obviously you and I are both speculating about different models for the management of personal information. But I do believe that there are some simple solutions to the problems that you are bringing up.
> I mean say I'm at work and my personal LDAP services are running on
> my PC at home - I would need to connect to that PC to access
> information. Unless all PCs I access need to have this "personal
> LDAP service" installed and synchronized....
So again, both you and I are making assumptions about each others ideas, but I would actually tend to think that I would keep copies of my personal information in several places ... back-ups ... replicas ... and I will probably choose several of these. These places will have to be locations that I trust, depending on how I store the copy. In day to day uses, I might replicate to the machines that are mine, but access one of these remotely from work. I also might put a replica at a friends house. Just like in the real world, we already have developed the habits of leaving copies of important personal information in several/other places.
> I mean, the article talks about "Personal NDS" as an extension of
> the client software "caching" directory information onto a PC. What
> happens when users are mobile users (use more than one workstation
> during the course of the day) in a corporate environment?
Again, I don't know anything about the Novell "announcement" besides what I read also. I have my own theories, analysis, and architecture that I believe is the way things will evolve. And I've based that model on the way that I see biological evolution solving the problem ... with it's billions of combinations/permutations that it's tried. ;-)
> Does this cache clear each time a new session is started or a new
> user logs in from a certain PC? [I guess I need some more info
> here]
I'm confused by what was written also ... there isn't enough information for me to draw many conclusions about what they are working on. I'm hoping that we'll see more about this at Brainshare ... it's only five weeks away!
> I agree that "personalized directories" will be the next evolution
> but somehow I see these "personal directories" "hosted" by a
> trusted source allowing me to access them from any device at any
> location at any time (not just with PCs from work or home).
I agree with an "extended" version of this idea ... one in which I have the complete flexibility to possess numerous copies, and have them in numerous locations. I would also have the ability to for my publishing rules to updates other directories with my information, as it changes. And I would probably add SSL for basic encryption of the communications, and have information encryption available at both ends.
> The ability to "download" directory information onto my workstation
> locally greatly enhances the control I have over my information
> which is updated on an pre-determined schedule or automatically on
> a set timetable with a central datastore.
So I guess it's a difference of perspective ... am I "downloading" or "uploading" my information? I might do both, depending on whether a "definitive" source existing on my machine at the time ... right?
> This way I can build a highly customized internet experience based
> on my settings in my personal directory (such as static web
> content, messaging, live streaming content and interactions with
> other people).
But remember one thing ... once I have shared it with *anyone*, at any time, it no longer is "personal" information ... I have just made it "potentially" public. I think that people will "selectivly" share their information ... just as they do today. And that there will be different levels of trust that I'll have with different "communities" ... just as I do today. But once I have allowed anyone else to see or store a copy, I have moved this information outside of my control. Personal information, IMHO, has to *begin* as personal ... and then be shared.
> Just some thoughts...
Likewise ... it's going to be a *huge* market ...
Scott C. Lemon |
