Alright, I'm ok now, but my friend's FSO is crashing right after the table validation part.
BTW, he's using the mac version.
EDIT: it turns out that his fs2netd account is registered and he can log in, but he isn't showing up in the pilot's list.
EDIT MORE: he's registered a second account which also lets him log in, but still won't show up in the pilot's list, so there must be a problem on his end, rather than something wrong with fs2netd.
EDIT 3: I got the accounts working by entering his username and password in my own PXO options and once the game connected to the fs2netd server his account started showing up on the list, but it's still crashing right after the table validation part. Which means the fs2netd account problems were just a symptom not the cause, which means we're back to square one, and no one reads my thread.

EDIT 4: Ah, I just read
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,46632.0.html now I see we'll have to wait till 3.6.10.