There is a login server, everyone can connect to the public login server, or if they want they can run Minilogin.

There is several reason for not handing out the public login server.

The crypto has to be the same as live, so it would be used to hack live accounts and would make us responcible for it.

We would end up like WOW, 100 server that people cant find because there all in diferent places, our centrialized login server is much better.

The original coder of the login server gave it to the developers with the understanding that it would never be given out because of #1.


There is many many threads dedicated to discussing this over the years, see them for more info.