Re: [Auth]A comment on terminology

[Albert Scherbinsky]

Hans Zandbelt wrote:
> 
> At 10:10 1/8/2002 -0500, you wrote:
> >The term 'Profile Provider' is misleading. I recommend
> >'Profile Host' as a replacement.  'Profile Provider' implies
> >that it is the source of the profile data. But, of course, a
> >Profile Host only hosts the profile, the owner of the data
> >'Provides' the data.
> 
> I agree, but I used the "Provider" part to indicate that
> the "Profile ..." is (in my opinion) a slightly more active role
> than the traditional web-hosting; is that true?
> Profile ... needs to offer services to a user to manage his profile
> and access policies remotely. Potentially a Profile ... is able
> to put constraints on the profile information.
> Plus he needs to enforce the user defined access policies on
> profile requesters; especially this is what I wanted to stress.
> 
> If you (and others) think that the last aspect is also covered
> by the term "Host", I will conform.

It is possible to separate the profile hosting and
management functions.
So we get the following definitions:

Profile Host:     Hosts profiles to facilitate remote
access.
Profile Manager:  Software that enforces user defined access
policies on profile requesters.

This allows for architectures where the Profile Owner is
completely paranoid and wants to run their own Profile
Manager and access their Profile from a remotely accessible
Profile Host where the Profile is completely opaque to such
a Profile Host. It also allows for less paranoid Profile
Owners who are prepared to trust another organization to
both Host and Manage their Profile.

If one were to use the term Profile Manager without
reference to a Profile Host it could be assumed that the
Profile Manager and Profile Host were one and the same,
allowing you to use the term 'Profile Manager' in the same
way that you now use 'Profile Provider'.

Albert Scherbinsky
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