I only briefly skimmed over the posts in this topic so if this has been brought up before feel free to ignore it.
I suspect that things will work out very similar to how they did with the id Software game "Doom". Many many client and server branches will be created, each having different purposes, ideals, or just simply someone wanted their own version. Over time, people will naturally converge on the most useful and popular versions, while the rest will simply fizzle out. These versions may share many traits, but will probably be different on key issues. Eventually things will settle down and while we may not have one overarching client/server version, there won't be so many as to be unmanageable.
As of right now, from what I can tell, there are about 5 or 6 doom source ports that are still actively used. All the rest have either faded away, or have been folded into these few. For the most part, these ports all have different purposes. ZDoom for innovating the possibilities of what can be done, Doomsday and Risen3D for improving graphics and 3D presentation, prBoom and Chocolate Doom for providing near perfect compatibility with the original game engine, Skulltag for improved multiplayer experience. I'm sure I'm missing some, but the point is that over time the source port wars ended and only the best and brightest were still around at the end, each with a significantly different purpose than the other survivors.
While Uru is slightly different in that it has to worry about server versions too, I suspect it will be largely the same deal. Various client ports will surface, with a long "port wars" period for a while, and eventually things will settle down on a small selection of clients, each with different purposes. The same will likely not happen with the servers though. The servers I see more like webservers, where each one does things better and does things worse than other types, and it is up to the server admin to determine which server is best for their wants and needs. The servers should ideally work independently of the clients, and so the casual user will not have to worry about what servers each shard is using.
I propose that when the source is released, and source ports begin springing up like rabbits, we just ensure that the central, golden client is the most accessible to new players, and allow them to choose which client they prefer themselves. For those that are worried we will need multiple installations to visit various shards, if the system is set up correctly, all clients will be able to connect to most, if not all servers. However, if this is not the case, and server/client pairs are released with the intention of being used together and with no other combination, I have no doubt in my mind that someone will create a client will the ability to connect to all servers to alleviate that specific problem.
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