A plan to revive old Morpheus 1.3.3 and avoid KaZaA's "Upgrade Morpheus" trick

[Spikologia]

First of all, I'm new here, so I'm really sorry if my idea is not new or is known not to work - I tried to look over the forums to see if a similiar idea was tried, and I'm really sorry if I missed one and am just bothering you now Also, if you know I'm wrong somewhere here, please let me know.

So, as far as I understand, Sharman Networks or KaZaA BV (a.k.a FastTrack) put into v1.5 of the FastTrack core a function that will make each v1.5 superpeer to kick out old v1.3.3 users by requiring them to upgrade. This effectively kicked StreamCast's Morpheus out of the network, since StreamCast wasn't supplied with a v1.5 FastTrack core to use for an upgraded Morpheus 1.5. StreamCast then released Morpheus Preview Edition 1.3.3.1 which doens't connect to the FastTrack network anymore, but to Gnutella.

After a while, users discovered that the old, FastTrack-based Moprheus 1.3.3 works again. It didn't connect to the KaZaA-Grokster-iMesh FastTrack though, but to an independent network automatically created. This network received the nickname "iMorpheus". But then after another while it again stopped working, saying it needs an upgrade (just like before). From time to time this "iMorpheus" network went up and then down again with the "upgrade" notice. The assumed explanation for this was there were neither none or very little number of v1.3.3 superpeers in the user's area, or KaZaA kept switching the "upgrade" notice sent from v1.5 users to v.1.3.3 users on and off, as Sharman Networks or KaZaA BV are suspected to have direct control over this feature.

Whatever really makes the v1.3.3 clients not to connect to its own independent network, it probably won't work if there were no (or at least less then the number of v1.5 clients there are now) v1.5 clients on FastTrack, since these are the ones who keep kicking v1.3.3 users out. But even if we could convince people not to use v1.5+, what COULD they use, if v1.3.3 clients aren't working anymore?

That why I did some tests. Indeed, on my computer, Morpheus 1.3.3 refuses to connect, telling me to download an upgrade which doesn't exist. I got a version of KaZaA 1.3.3 and it didn't work either, however tKaZaA 1.3.3 actually had an upgrade available (I was offered to download 1.5.1 - probably I connected to a 1.5.1 superpeer ant not to a 1.6 one). Anyways, I can't upgrade to 1.5+ 'cuz it kicks Morpheus out.

So I did a little thinking. Then I remebered that just a little while before KaZaA.com was bought by Sharman Networks, FastTrack released an update to KaZaA 1.3.3 - it was called KaZaA 1.4. I think the only difference (that we were told about) was a new Recommendations system. However KaZaA.com was soon purchased, and the new owners, Sharman networks, for some reason didn't like 1.4, so they released KaZaA 1.3.4 (strange that they made a step back in the verion numbering) short after. I don't trust Sharman, so I haven't tried v1.3.4, however I DID find KaZaA 1.4 (which came out BEFORE 1.3.4 and was never officialy available again - Sharman just jumped straight to 1.5 after 1.3.4) and it works like a charm. It does ASK you if you want to upgrade, but you don't HAVE TO, and it can be used to connect to the actual FastTrack network, not just an independent one.

SO what does this mean? I suspect that this 1.4 version released by FastTrack might not have the mechanism the demands older clients to upgrade, and\or that KaZaA (sharman\FastTrack) can't control it. If so, this can be used as a link between the old Morpheus 1.3.3 and the "wide" FastTrack network, or at least to fill the network with clients that KaZaA can't control. If we make users download this fast enough, there might be too many v1.4 clients before KaZaA notices them, and they would be too many to be blocked.

I therefore started working on a spyware-free version. If we can make the "KaZaA Lite" websites to feature some kind of a "KaZaA Lite 1.4" and explain why this should be used and not newer versions (newer versions don't really offer anything new for the end user anyway), maybe it could get pretty popular.

Please tell me what you think. Thanks!