Day 3 of the Ubuntu Developer Summit has kicked off and one of this morning’s sessions centred around the benefits of signing into Ubuntu with an Ubuntu Single Sign-on (‘Ubuntu One’) account.
Now before you break out in a sweat over the notion do bear in mind that the session is centred around the idea and practicality of such a feature, not a commitment to implementing or shipping it.
Ergo: don’t expect to be logging into Ubuntu 12.04 LTS using your Ubuntu One account when it rolls out next year.
But on to the details…
Cloud Log in: The Benefits
Ubuntu currently used ‘standard’ user accounts. These are created on the ‘local’ machine and stay there. Files and settings within that account can be ‘synced’ with Ubuntu One, allowing access of them from anywhere there is internet.
The ‘labour’ in the current approach is that users have to go through two steps: creating a user account, then pairing up their Ubuntu One account.
That’s two different usernames and, most likely, two different passwords.
Were Ubuntu to follow the Chrome OS/Windows 8 login method by making your login your Ubuntu SSO you’d have one less set of information to remember.
This coupled with the potential for having various application configurations auto-updated with your Ubuntu One files, ready to go after logging in to a fresh install makes a fantastic prospect.
Imagine: no more having to set up Empathy, Thunderbird, Gwibber, etc., after each install. You simply sign in with your Ubuntu SSO and —bam: all sync’d, ready and waiting.
Better yet the SSO login idea plays into the hand of Ubuntu’s planned ‘multi-device’ future almost perfectly: no matter what machine you log in to, be it TV, netbook or tablet. All of your settings, files and more are available using the same login information.
Naturally there are some issues with the idea that need to be solved.
Potential issues
Firstly: I might not want all 26 GB files stored on Ubuntu One auto-synced to a public Ubuntu computer I sign in to, or my Ubuntu netbook with a measly 16GB storage. So some form of ‘what is synced and where’ feature need adding.
Also:
- What if I forget my Ubuntu One password?
- How would I change my password?
- How do I log in with no WiFi?
- What happens if someone doesn’t have/want an Ubuntu SSO?
Approaching the idea
Putting a bunch of wily developers and interested parties in one room to discuss an issue typically results in practical solutions — the UDS session that saw this idea debated no exception
For example, the login screen would need to have some form of network access available for your first SSO login; a method is needed for ‘deauthorising’ Ubuntu One/User Account; changes to the way user passwords are edited and ‘synced’ with local keyrings/apps.
SSO = FTW?
The idea of a single sign on (SSO) won’t be useful to everyone.
But it is a forward looking idea that underlines how Ubuntu developers are aware of and trying to keep the distro instep with the world around it.