Interesting piece on CNET: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-6208902-0.html?tag=tp_pr A telling highlight:

Analysts said Microsoft views instant messaging--a key element of Windows Messenger--as glue for its new Internet services such as Passport and HailStorm. Such services promise to simplify Web surfing by giving people a single online identity and providing secure access to personal information such as credit card numbers with one click.

It's that "single online identity" part that chafes me. A pretty clear anti-nymity bias, as MS forges ahead in tying ones online presence irrevocably to their meatspace identity. -- Roy M. Silvernail Proprietor, scytale.com roy@scytale.com