What is this Passport WinXP is asking for?

[CMFC6 0VS NETUser]

// Just Some Useless and meaning less text... Real World Coding:      POP& BuyAPop(Money ADollar){...};

[Henry Jacobs]

It's the best thing since anally administered electroshock therapy.

[Todd Smith]

It's the first stage of their Borg technology.

Todd Smith

[CMFC6 0VS NETUser]

Out to Henry and Todd I know you might not like Passport but I asked what it was? Real World Coding:      POP& BuyAPop(Money ADollar){...};

[Henry Jacobs]

I try to be more helpful this time. "Just Say No!" ;P I'm kidding. As I understand it, Passport is a service that allows you to visit websites that require you to log in (such as CodeProject) without making you enter your user name and password. How? You log in once at Microsoft's Passport gateway. When you visit a Passport enabled website the website will authenticate you be querying the Passport server you initially logged in to. What's the catch? I only works on Passport enabled websites. Each website that uses this service has to pay. Eventually each user will have to pay also. It also provides Microsoft with valuable user tracking data which will sold to their affiliates. Does this violate your privacy? Yes, but you gave them the right to share this information with their affiliates when you agreed to the EULA. I also feel that software I pay for should not nag me to purchase more products. A link on the desktop entitled "Subscribe To Passport" would have been sufficient. Passport also has ties with .NET My Services, which is a different problem.