I was chatting with a friend recently about "successful marketing strategies". and I was told that one of the most successfull ones had been the Mc Donalds Happy Meal. Yes, true, the Happy Meal really is one of the best. & then I thought... "infocard"... is this a "stratergy" that microsoft had ?
But InfoCard will only succeed if there are innovative people like you who are willing to take the time to build interesting relying parties and identity providers.
FROM: A First Look at InfoCard
Microsoft is known for it's marketing strategies. They succeeded in making "windows" the defacto standard for desktops. I really dont care how the did it, but the bottom line is that they did it !! Well, I then remembered that "infocard" can be only as successful as it's adoption.
Well, Here's what I think. (my perception)
Microsoft has generated so much interest and buzz in the marketspace with the "Laws of Identity", The "Identity Metasystem" and "infocard" that everybody wanted to know what it was and how to use it. I was one of them....
Microsoft didnt want to make "infocard" implementation a "insert CD..., click next...(a few times), and then click finish..." procedure.. They wanted folks to adopt it. They also wanted the "community" to show that they could do it on their own with Java, PHP, etc... Basically they showed us a "carrot" and made us run for it... Once the "community" showed that they could easily do it, it would make everybody believe that implementing it is not a complex task. It's not expensive and it's do-able. Well, They sure succeeded at that.
PS: Kim, if that was the strategy, Hats off to you. You did it !!!(extremely well planned). Now you know why I idolize you. 
Your Thoughts ?