I'd like to comment. I believe the beta is being 'closed off' in this way in order to speed up the debugging process, much like with some of the previous versions (TG might be able to tell you more.) It makes sense to create a stable, independent foundation (which doesn't connect to unstable clients using previous versions) & then build on it later rather than go at it all at once and hope for the best. If you read the winmx
beta details this is the impression I got at least.
I think your second point deserves more attention. Although I'm not using the beta myself; perhaps TG, JS & others could elaborate. WinMX doesn't seem to have a privacy statement (this is hardly dubious considering that Kazaa/Sharman/BDE have them) but, like Xolox & a few other clients, they explicitly state on their
homepage that they don't incorporate spyware into their clients and never will. It's worth noting that some websites which promised never to use banners, subscription services or pop-ups did so under changing market conditions. Many of these clients, although they appear to be labours of love and passion, make use of closed-source networks & are closed source themselves. I think it remains to be seen whether these networks can sustain themselves on the current models. Remember that Apache & Linux are open-source projects that are even generating revenue, so it might be possible under that model. Ultimately though, WinMX is in control so it's best to be cautious!
