Ever since Napster was launched, the P2P concept has been regarded as being barely legal.

But once Microsoft will embrace it, under the name Avalanche, the P2P concept has all the chances of entering a new era.

A fast network able to provide (in a legal environment) software and movies is a very good idea which will gain many followers. But the new P2P concept will not be BitTorrent's executioner, it will only represent a legal alternative to it.

With Avalanche, Microsoft might gain a strategic position on the market, and it might end up having on its hands a service much more interesting than iTunes or any other similar applications.

It remains to be seen what accessing and using conditions will be imposed and what fees will Avalanche require to allow users to harness its P2P power. In a world which is more and more dependent on the Internet, Microsoft is finally gambling on the right card.

But what will happen if the "good" guys of the Internet change Microsoft's toy so that it ends up being used in the wrong way? What will happen then, BitTorrent reloaded?