Facebook considering $3-4Bn buyout of Skype

Elaborate how? It's been proven with sites like chatroulette. There are open source servers like red5:

http://code.google.com/p/red5/

Chatroulette is not really an alternative to skype, but the link was interesting. I think the OP was looking for a similar video chat client.

I've personally never used skype, but for 1-1 video chatting, gchat works pretty well. I use it nightly.

I know this is off the topic.any body knows a skype like program that runs on lan only thanks

it's not overly surprising considering the recent Facebook Skype integration and Skype's expansion to the USA (new office in Brisbane, CA).

I'd say it's more like likely a 'strategic partnership' than a buy-out. Having said that though, they're both private companies, so it may not as straight forward as a normal 'merger'

Yeah - but this is actually the most brilliant move that Facebook can make - and makes such greater sense than eBay.

You have a service of 500 MILLION accounts that actually talk to eachother.

The play here is so fucking obvious: the facebook Social technology portal page: It is a smartphone on fucking steroids.

You get voice, an extensive contacts list, all the apps on the platform, updates of actions etc...

There is no way why this is a stupid play on facebooks part.

If this goes through - they will have a phenomenally significant advantage to google. Millions of users that now have every tool they need to communicate. The additional services that facebook shall deploy only further lock in that user base: payments, planning, groups, organizations... eventually it will be about fostering and incubating companies and startups via facebook frameworked group app support.

The next step is the facebook phone... all it has is a data connection - skype all your contacts in-system, and the ancillary apps that they can end up providing through the platform in 5 years will take on apple.