The Tr* scheme

[Dave Birch] Apart from having one of the best URLs on the interweb, xmlgrrl Eve Maler also has a splendidly useful PDF containing a set of diagrams that give an overview of the relationship between SAML, Liberty, Cardspace and so on. Well worth downloading.

Technorati Tags: identity, management

She also has a taxonomy of identity-related issues that I found immensely useful in a number of different ways. She calls it the Tr* scheme. It divides issues into

• Tropes. Figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression. These are technology metaphors that have perhaps become dull with overuse.
• Trends. General direction in which something is developing or changing. These are things worth knowing for the long haul.
• Transients. Lasting only for a short time; impermanent. These are shiny new things that are unlikely to stick around.
• Transparents. Allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen. These are important things people keep looking through instead of at.

So if you have a bundle of issues to deal with, sort them using these categories as an aid to thinking. I intend to use this model at the Digital Identity Forum to see if it helps me to untangle some of the complex, and fascinating, issues that are bound to arise from the stimulating presentations and genuinely-informed expert panel discussions that people have come to expect from the event.

These opinions are my own (I think) and are presented solely in my capacity as an interested member of the general public [posted with ecto]