I think OpenID can be considered a de facto standard. Where Microsoft with all its clout failed, it is evident that OpenID is succeeding. This is probably because OpenID can survive without any one organization, and anyone can run part of OpenID. The latest news is that NetVibes and Digg are adding OpenID support. This adds to the already venerable list of AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Wikipedia, and LiveJournal. Now if only Google would take the step. You can read more about it over at TechCrunch. By the way, I got myself an OpenID and have been using it on Jyte (a site I consider somewhat useless, but addicting).