Comment by ugh | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ugh | Hacker News Reader

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I'm more annoyed by having to pick a (unique) username. My name is too long and too common, all of the nice short versions are always already gone and why the hell am I so often not allowed to separate my first and (abbreviated) last name with a dot? Use my email address as the unique identifier and let me enter my first and last name or a nickname (which doesn't have to be unique), please.

Don't make me think. You should never ever have to show me the "This name is already in use." message. Your design shouldn't even need it. Not everyone has or would like to have an (as unique as possible) nickname on the web they would like to use.

(Unique) usernames are the one vestige of the old web I would like to get rid of post haste. Call me Michael. (I still positively remember signing up to Facebook because I didn't have to pick a username.)

the easy solution to this is your email as a username/login. that way it's guaranteed unique. the only problem is multiple john smiths confusing people

Email addresses may be unique at one point of time, but assuming that they are unique identifiers for people is problematic because they can legitimately change hands. For instance, my work email address is <firstname>@<company>. I'm not the first <firstname> at <company> - the other one left before I joined, but two months after I took over the email address I'm still clearing up the accounts with services that made an identity assumption over email addresses.

Isn't there a problem if you sign-up to services with your "temporary" work email? Get a gmail account and sit on it, what's wrong with that?

I don't have a "temporary" work email. I'm not sure I understand what you're suggesting.

Similarly, I'm still getting e-mails for [username]@[isp] because the username I chose has been used by several prior users, and just happened to be free at the moment I signed up.

You can use Gravatar to show different pictures for every John Smith.

If you want vanity urls then you still have to have unique username.

Are you suggesting sites should allow duplicate usernames and allow you to log in with that username and one of the correct passwords associated with it?

No he's suggesting to allow people to log in with their email and let them pick whatever username/nickname they want. Think Stackoverflow for example.

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