In the interest of accuracy, Kazaa is NOT centralized. It's based on FastTrack, which is very much like gnutella with the added benefit of network traffic being encrypted. It's P2P with higher powered nodes shielding lesser nodes from the majority of the network traffic, just like Ultrapeers do in gnutella. The reason searches are faster with Kazaa is because it's a closed network with a proprietary protocol. There are no rogue clients that have imperfectly implemented the protocol. There are no poorly coded clients that make every node an Ultrapeer. The creators of the network have much greater control and can react to problems quickly and with finality. (Witness the abrupt departure of Morpheus clients from the FastTrack network.) The open nature of the gnutella protocol makes corrective action very problematic.

I'm not trying to promote Kazaa or FastTrack. I just don't think inaccurate information helps anyone.

I agree with your assesment of their future. The court battles will do them in.