Microsoft Windows Live ID sounds very suspiciously like .Net (now in the neutered form of Passport) all over again with a few changes. From Trevin Chow:
“The current plan is that Windows Live ID will support both self-issued and third-party managed [InfoCards] as a mechanism to authenticate users when accessing Windows Live services. Subsequently, Windows Live ID will also issue managed cards to enable users to use their Windows Live ID with third parties.”
I like the 3rd party aspect of it, and I think this gives it a much better chance of success, depending on how much “control” Microsoft keeps. With the growing popularity and prevalence of the Microsoft Live products and families, I suspect we’ll be using Windows Live ID a great deal.