I really don't know much about it except reading some half popular half technical accounts. What has happened? Not too much and a lot, depending upon how you view it. They have repeated a dubious experiment which has left colleagues highly sceptical under better controlled conditions and the dubious results have been corroborated leading the former doubtful colleagues to say they would not ignore it any longer.

At this point they stil have to put more energy into it than they get out. But if they are right, to reach the break even point is only a technical and no principal problem I'd say. The containing of the fusion is still the problem and for a long time the shielding will have be so big and energy consuming that the economical solution will demand big reactors serving not houses but towns. The disadvantages like vulnerability to catastrophes will be large. At this point in time I'd prefer hydrogen technology.

Chief Chaos, you are mixing up technology and basic science. As Strick says, if the basics are known and work there is no containing of these ideas possible. That's a myth. One particular technology or invention can be bought by a company and not used. But you cannot buy and let disappear findings in basic science. The papers and books are out there. If it is promising it will be done sooner or later.

Wolfgang