Actually your title is misleading, since you say you “won’t be getting on the opnid train”. Truth is, you’re already on it, only you’re in the smoker’s wagon. Your title is actually “stepping off the openid train” which is another story.

I understand the frustration of not having a good provider, as many people also were frustrated because they had a bad ISP, bought a bad computer, installed a crappy OS. Did that stop people from buying computers, and going on the internet? The price to pay for those was equally annoying as for you to switch openid accounts for a better provider.

I agree that the current state of openid has issues. The point I’m trying to make is that openid should and will evolve towards a safer, easier web experience. Saying “it’s no good so I don’t hop on the train” is just denying the idea of progress. Openid brings something new on the table, it’s not perfect, but it has potential. And THAT’s what makes me want to hop on the train. And yet it moves, as said galileo.

I agree that openid cannot replace the classical login/password. Forcing people to have openid is silly IMHO. It’s just a lifestyle, some people like log cabins, others like hotel rooms, who can blame either one?

back to your points, since you offer to give our point of view, here is mine

1) Yes indeed the openid provider could change, and I agree that delegation does not solve this problem. However, you do trust your mail provider for continuation of service as well, why is that not a problem to you? Nevertheless, OpenID consumers should provide a means to account for that sort of situation. After all, in most cases your account is still associated with an email, so you could have a functionality similar to the current “lost password” that would enable you to change your openid provider.

2) Regarding the mobile thing, did it occur to you that the phone includes a smartcard, and that the later contains a certificate? Openid providers could (and IMO will) use this certificate as a means to authenticate the user. It will be completely transparent for the user, maybe he’ll be just required to enter his PIN code. Also, if you combine inames with openid you will end up typing about as many characters as a login/password scheme.

3) This argument sorta smells, the thing is: openid does not bring a solution for all current problems. You’re pinpointing issues that exist with the standard system. Openid has its flaws, but it’s just not new flaws. Good thing about it though is that there are third-party solutions to those flaws, like verisign’s seatbelt plugin, which prevents phishing. Also, in the near future people will progressively be equiped with smart card readers (some countries, like Belgium and Estonia have electronic citizen ID) and it will more and more become a means to authenticate yourself on the web with those certificates.

4) I’m not quite sure I understood the point you’re trying to make here. What is more complicated: having a few openid, or having tons of login/passwords? There is no necessity to have N openid, but it’s possible to do so, well great taht’s fine by me. Regarding SREG, I’m not familiar with it so I’ll pass, but your grandma sure belongs in point 5 rather than point 4

5) Well there I don’t agree. For the first site you’ll visit, yeah you’ll have to go through 2 authentication pages, but once you’re logged into your provider, you’ll never see that page again for the duration of your session. You can also have your openid provider as start page, and login once and for all. Of course it’s a different way of thinking than what we are currently used to, but that’s just a question of working habit.

You want to bury openid, but it sounds just like you made yourself an opinion and try as best as you can to prove yourself that you are right rather than questioning your judgement.