Hi,

The worries are over the protocol, though the sentence should have said client, I've fixed that now. Apologies for the confusion.

There is some background at Slyck that should help clear it up for you: http://www.slyck.com/story1566_BitTorrent_Addresses_Closed_Source_Issues

Here's a relevant passage:

"With previous versions (prior to 6.0), the protocol was just as open as the old mainline client. This has changed with the release of 6.0. Developers, community members and newcomers to the BitTorrent scene have expressed concern that keeping up with the latest protocol developments may be difficult, if not impossible.

However this will not be the case, as the protocol will continue to be maintained at BitTorrent.org.

While the BitTorrent client and the latest protocol may not be published, therefore technically closed source, the protocol is still open. The details of the protocol extensions, including all the latest revisions, are still available to whoever wants them. BitTorrent's recent move isn't going to make everyone happy, but those wishing to help develop the BitTorrent community probably won't notice much of a difference."

So the concerns over the openness of the protocol are perhaps wrong-headed, but there nonetheless, which is part of why TPB are acting in this way.

Chris Williams