Creating usernames using Google and Linkedin

[tadaka at gmail.com (Jason Wood)]

The script definitely has its warts.  I didn't actually do anything for
middle initial other than avoid it.  Actually, it would be pretty easy to
add the middle initial to the variations if it is present.

                        elif len(full_name) == 3:
                                fname = full_name[0]
                                mname = full_name[1]  # new code
                                lname = full_name[2]
                                uname = fname[0] + lname
                                print uname
                                uname = fname + lname[0]
                                print uname
                                uname = fname[0] + mname[0] +
lname                      #new code
                                print uname                                #
new code

I'll mess around with it and see what variations I can add.  If anyone has
different username schemes based on name, let me know and I'll try to add
them in too.

I also noticed that the script doesn't do real well against large
organizations such as Yahoo.  Too many results come back above the
employees.  Something to keep tinkering with.

Jason


On Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 10:45 AM, Mike Patterson <mike.patterson at unb.ca>wrote:

> Mike Patterson wrote on 6/12/09 12:20 PM:
> > Jason Wood wrote on 6/12/09 2:08 AM:
> > > The only real defense I can think of against this is to make sure
> usernames
> > > at your organization are not based on their names.  I know from
> experience
> > > that people will absolutely HATE it, but it would work.
> >
> > And don't tie email addresses to those userids either.  Especially if
> > people post to mailing lists with public archives and such.
>
> ps, tried it against my own org, and it didn't actually do very well,
> although I recognized a lot of the names it was trying.
>
> Is our org's default of first initial-middle initial-last name very
> unique?  If not, you might try putting that algorithm in.  (And what do
> we do for name collisions?  Put a number in the middle, so like
> ja34bloggins.)  Or I could send a patch.  ;)
>
> Mike
>
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