A rather arrogant Steve Ballmer, President and CEO of Microsoft, today dismissed Sun’s efforts to create a user identification system that would rival Microsoft’s Passport. “I think what we announced is right. I think the Sun thinghas absolutely no probability of mattering to the world. That’s my nonemotional view,” Ballmer said. Sun’s technology, dubbed the Liberty Alliance Project, has more than 30 partners, including the likes of Cisco and Intuit. Still, Ballmer points out, Passport already has 120 million users and Sun’s solution will lack the “killer app” that will encourage users to get an ID. Microsoft, in contrast, strongly encourages anyone using Windows XP to sign up for Passport, and has recently begun offering contests and giveaways that are only eligible to users with a Passport ID.
