There is word afoot that SP-2 does something we wouldn’t like. Although Microsoft insists that it’s a security measure, SP-2 is said to limit the number of TCP/IP open connections.

Not a serious issue, you think? Well, think again. How do you suppose all those programs that work to accelerate your downloads do their magic? Yep- they open multiple TCP/IP pipes to one or more Internet locations and download your files in what seems like no time at all. No pipes=slow downloads. This was first reported on Warp2Search.com last month.

If it’s true, it’s just one more reason to dislike the ‘all or nothing’ monster download.

In a follow-up to this story, sharp-eyed reader James Y found a reference to this change on the Microsoft site. Scroll down the page to the section titled “Limited number of simultaneous incomplete outbound TCP connection attempts” to learn what they have to say. Basically, any software attempting more than 10 simultaneous connections to a TCP/IP address will be capped. This includes some file download accelerators and BitTorrent, at the least. I’ve heard of a hack being passed around that will blow the cap, but since things like that are horribly dangerous, all I’ll say is that it’s out there. Perhaps software companies who rely on the bandwidth it gives will come out with their own patches. We’ll see.