Using different oAuth providers may be a great benefit. While GitHub may suggest and be more straightforward for developers that are used to sharing their code and other work on GitHub, LinkedIn may be attractive to people with a different skill set and surroundings.
Still, I believe that content-based apps such as Steemit or Steemhunt do not require lots of knowledge about the blockchain for one to begin their journey there. However, I can see that a Steem account is not enough to login in the future version of Utopian, so it can be assumed that one doesn't need the account at all.
Do you believe that learning about Steem when a new user wants to join is more troublesome and difficult than learning about it while interacting with the platform utilising standard accounts from GitHub or Google?
New users will not need to wait for Steemit to create a new account for them as Utopian can handle the process.
I believe as a user I'd prefer straight forward ways to try out the platform before deciding if I wish to use it or not. Using standard social oauth providers assure the users can get in with the click a button. Having Steem as (the only) auth option requires the user to undertake more steps as in most cases we need to verify the account being created is legit, to avoid spending RC for scammy or duplicate accounts. Additionally such approach will allow plugging in more chains if the need will ever arise.
I understand that Steem account may remain anonymous or it is not simple to see whether a person owns more accounts at the same time. I suppose that you will gain access to some personal information of the user through the OAuth provider. As it may give you a better idea who is the owner of the account, it does not solve a potential issue of duplicate accounts.
Is the interface going to be viewable by logged in users only?
Nope. The interface is going to be public, but to interact with it you of course need to get in first and social auths allow you to do that almost instantly
Are you going to publish a post every day till Steemfest?
I will write about the most critical points until SteemFest, not sure if every day, but I'll try. I will also keep providing previews of utopian v.2 after the SteemFest until I can give out a full picture, in small pills :)
It make sense since newly created accounts are able to post only 3 comments (2 on my tests) for their whole mana. That means they have to wait 2-3 days to edit it or comment under it. A free start without these limitations could be helpful for them to get used to the system and interact freely. Then they can decide to create a steem account and invest in.
My only concern, oauth is not enough to avoid scam attempts. So far we've blacklisted many accounts for using multi-accounts which all had multiple google accounts.
I did not question whether Steem auth should be preferred or not but that it is not included among others means to log in. But I can understand it as Steem does not hold any personal data and thus making it significantly different than signing in with other accounts.
I agree that the decision is good for people who don't know Steem and may decide later whether they want to join. Though, if Steem is not required and people may use the platform without a Steem account, they may miss the potential of the blockchain and may not join other apps. But those thoughts are out of Utopian scope.