Microsoft will write a software plug-in that allows the Firefox open-source Web browser to work with Microsoft’s Cardspace identity management technology.The plug-in will be written at Microsoft’s Open Source Software Lab and released eventually to the open-source community, said Hank Janssen, the lab’s program manager, at the TechEd IT Forum in Barcelona on Wednesday.“We’re actually writing the CardSpace extension, and they [The Mozilla Foundation] were very, very excited about it,” said Janssen.CardSpace, formerly called InfoCard, aims to make it easier for users to manage and control the personal information they give to websites. Microsoft is promoting it as a way to replace user names and passwords and provide a better defense against phishing and other types of online fraud. The technology, which will be included in Windows Vista, stores the personal information on a user’s computer. Microsoft’s first attempt at identity management, called Passport, didn’t catch on, partly because Microsoft planned to store users’ information on its own servers, which raised privacy concerns. The work with Firefox continues Microsoft’s cooperative efforts with the Mozilla Foundation, the distributor of Firefox, that would have been unheard of until recently, Janssen said. A group of Firefox developers came to Microsoft last month to ask questions about how to improve the browser’s performance in Windows, Janssen said. Jokes circulated on discussion boards that black helicopters were flying overhead and that Microsoft might try to abduct the team, Janssen said.Microsoft provided “unfettered” access to all the people they needed to talk to make Firefox work better with Vista, Janssen said. “They even talked to the IE people.”The Mozilla team left intact after three days. As far as the black helicopters, “We’re not that organized,” Janssen said. “We would like to be, maybe.”No timetable has been set for when the plug-in will be completed or how it will be distributed, Microsoft said.-Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service (London Bureau)Related Link: Mozilla-Funded Study: Firefox 2 Tops IE 7 in AntifraudThis article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by SAP When natural disasters strike Japan, Ōita University’s EDiSON is ready to act With the technology and assistance of SAP and Zynas Corporation, Ōita University built an emergency-response collaboration tool named EDiSON that helps the Japanese island of Kyushu detect and mitigate natural disasters. By Michael Kure, SAP Contributor Dec 07, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by BMC BMC on BMC: How the company enables IT observability with BMC Helix and AIOps The goals: transform an ocean of data and ultimately provide a stellar user experience and maximum value. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by BMC The data deluge: The need for IT Operations observability and strategies for achieving it BMC Helix brings thousands of data points together to create a holistic view of the health of a service. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business IT Skills Backup and Recovery Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe