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Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

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Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#31

Post by ploggingdev »

orblivion wrote: post #12
roesel wrote: post #5

I am not sure who this guy is, but he seems a little out of this world.

He serves an important purpose. He lays forth a philosophical framework for software freedom, and makes predictions that people don't take seriously and gives advice that nobody would ever practically follow. He also has this annoying habit of being right in the end. He represents an ideal we'll never reach, but we should always aim back toward.

> He also has this annoying habit of being right in the end

I'm not familiar with his predictions, so can you give a few examples.

Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#32

Post by mtgx »

dandandan wrote: post #17
wonko1 wrote: post #13

Another reason not to use Skype is that their support is pretty poor. They've deleted Skype numbers from my account without warning. Someone linked my and my wife's account because we used them on the same PC, and refuse to unlink Skype and Microsoft accounts. I'd love to find an alternative, but given that everybody already has Skype accounts the lock-in is pretty significant. Don't much like the alternatives Stallm…

Stallman won't like it but Facebook Messenger has voice calling built in now and it works very well. I was calling someone in SE Asia from rural Massachusetts recently and the quality was great with very low latency. It felt like a natural conversation given the connectivity challenges on both ends.

At least you should be using Whatsapp calls, which are end-to-end encrypted, and also have very good quality with the data saving option enabled.

Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#33

Post by heinrich5991 »

lightedman wrote: post #19

Reason to use skype: So your dead account doesn't get immediately compromised and you screw your friends over in the process as your account starts sending out malware-infested links. glares at the seven or so users in his blocked list, users that jumped ship to Telegram and left their Skype accounts open to exploitation

Using a strong and unique password would be a good step in not getting compromised.

Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#34

Post by senko »

dandandan wrote: post #21
wonko1 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I can't see myself using it for work though, which the majority of my Skype calls tend to be.

You don't need to be Facebook friends to complete a call but I can still see that expectation being an obstacle to establishing one. Is there a space for a very simple WebRTC call application? It seems like everyone is focused on video calling or more full-featured products.

No as long as it is not supported by mobile safari, thereby cutting a large swath of situations where such an app would be useful. We've had WebRTC calls as "experimental" for years now in https://awwapp.com/ solely because of this limitation.

Once you invest more in working around this by having native clients, it makes sense for your product to do more.

Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#35

Post by Veratyr »

snvzz wrote: post #16

This is true of all IM that isn't based on open protocols and has mandatory end-to-end encryption. Which is why I use tox [0]. [0] https://tox.chat/

I prefer Matrix[0] since it has some nice features (encryption, message history, multiple devices, audio, video, files), supports most major platforms, can be self hosted and importantly, supports push notifications so your battery isn't destroyed like it is with Antox.

[0]: http://matrix.org

Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#36

Post by legulere »

mankash666 wrote: post #3

Stallman claims Skype isn't encrypted end-to-end and then suggests using "free" alternatives that are not in the least bit security concious or end-to-end encrypted.

Of course, in the free software world the only thing counting is if the software is under a free license. All other properties can only be used to attack non-free software

Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#37

Post by kscz »

ycmbntrthrwaway wrote: post #22

Is there any usable alternative for voice calls? Ring and Tox had problems setting up connection from android to debian linux last time I tried both of them. I really want to replace Skype with something so I can stop using Google Play. Signal is not an option as it is only available via Google Play too. [0] https://ring.cx/ [1] https://tox.chat/

I've found matrix[0] to work pretty well. Main downside is that the calls themselves are not end-to-end encrypted, but there is end-to-end encryption for the call setup. Riot[1] is available via f-droid[2]. You can host your own homeserver to prevent metadata leakage if you want, and run the TURN/STUN server to setup the calls if one of both parties are behind a NAT.

[0] http://matrix.org/

[1] http://riot.im

[2] https://f-droid.org/wiki/page/im.vector.alpha

Re: Reasons not to use Skype (2012)

#38

Post by ChrisNorstrom »

roesel wrote: post #5

I am not sure who this guy is, but he seems a little out of this world.

Stallman warned people in detail about the dangers of putting everything in "the cloud" years and years before everyone started putting their photos in the cloud, getting hacked, and celebrities' nude photos being leaked on the internet. If you think he's crazy about a topic just wait 5 years, you'll admit he's right.
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