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Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

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Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#21

Post by spauka »

darklajid wrote: post #17
jister wrote: post #5

I don't see any reason to replace Skype.

I see quite a lot of good reasons for it - but the site fails to list any decent alternatives. I don't think there are any at this point. To give you an impression of things that might speak against using Skype (not that I want to imply that these should matter to you. I merely want to speak for the 'I'd like to leave (but cannot)' side): 1) It's proprietary. We cannot validate the protocol without reverse engineerin…

What I have never understood about any of these arguments is the demonization of corporations for the purposes of argument.

IF, and I stress if, there is a better option, for users then I suggest use it. But arguments such as it was bought by Microsoft therefore it must be bad do not make sense. To be more specific, Skype had all the valid issues it had (such as proprietary format, advertising etc.) before it was acquired by Microsoft. The only new factor is its acquisition.

The fact that certain companies, Microsoft, IBM etc. have an 'evil', 'corporate' air about them, whereas companies (and this is a generalization for the sake of example) such as Google and Apple are the good guys don't make sense. I would like to see free software promoted for its merits, and to see bogus arguments based around who makes the product to disappear from the IT world.

No company is less evil than any other, and whether products should be used or not should not depend on who owns them, but how the products operate.

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#22

Post by p4bl0 »

limmeau wrote: post #19
steve-howard wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? "Evil" just because it's closed-source? Regardless, I'd imagine most Linux Skype users have at least a few Windows users on their contact lists -- and good luck getting them to switch operating systems.

The other point was using bandwidth. If you run Skype on a well-connected computer, you can't decide whether you want to become a big Skype relay node for your part of the world; Skype decides that for you.

Yep. And that's why (with the closed protocol) Skype is forbidden on the whole French university and research network (RENATER).

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#23

Post by p4bl0 »

steve-howard wrote: post #14
p4bl0 wrote: post #3

I don't see why people would quit using Skype now. The fact that it has been bought by Microsoft doesn't change that Skype is evil. It already was. It already was a closed source software using a proprietary protocol and doing stuff you don't know with your bandwidth. Don't get me wrong, it's great if people switch from Skype to something free (as in freedom), but not if it's because it has been bought by Microsoft,…

Really? "Evil" just because it's closed-source? Regardless, I'd imagine most Linux Skype users have at least a few Windows users on their contact lists -- and good luck getting them to switch operating systems.

The word "evil" is too strong, I agree. But even if people continue to use Windows, at least they could use a software with an open protocol for their communications, not something with which you don't know what some company do with your data.

Disclaimer: I'm guilty myself since I use facebook for instance.

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#24

Post by p4bl0 »

Argorak wrote: post #16

Hm, 3 Options, of which one only supports Linux (Empathy) and one only supports Windows & Linux (Ekiga). Only Linphone seems to have platform support that comes close to Skype. So, cut it down to one. Personally, I think Linphone looks kind of dated and their site is full of google adwords. I would hesitate to send a link out to anyone.

Linphone is "just" a SIP client. Your contacts can use it if they want and you can use another SIP client. Just like Google Talk use XMPP and people can use any client to connect to their GTalk account and then talk with anyone using Jabber/XMPP (even not Google Talk).

That's why open protocols are good. Because they're open.

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#25

Post by daliusd »

p4bl0 wrote: post #3

I don't see why people would quit using Skype now. The fact that it has been bought by Microsoft doesn't change that Skype is evil. It already was. It already was a closed source software using a proprietary protocol and doing stuff you don't know with your bandwidth. Don't get me wrong, it's great if people switch from Skype to something free (as in freedom), but not if it's because it has been bought by Microsoft,…

Just humorous accident. I got request to update Skype this morning and after update all I get is this: http://i.imgur.com/qYcwd.png (after that skype crashes).

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#26

Post by [deleted] »

p4bl0 wrote: post #23
steve-howard wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? "Evil" just because it's closed-source? Regardless, I'd imagine most Linux Skype users have at least a few Windows users on their contact lists -- and good luck getting them to switch operating systems.

The word "evil" is too strong, I agree. But even if people continue to use Windows, at least they could use a software with an open protocol for their communications, not something with which you don't know what some company do with your data. Disclaimer: I'm guilty myself since I use facebook for instance.

[deleted]

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#27

Post by kalleboo »

trezor wrote: post #10
maqr wrote: post #2

I'll be trying to get my contacts to use Google Talk. It has all the features of Skype, including video conferencing, for free.

I know absolutely nobody who uses Google Talk. Posting on Facebook "Does anyone here really use Google Talk?" there was a roaring silence in response. I can't for the life of me see why you would go from a minor evil service like Skype/MSN/whatever with a variety of clients to choose from to a monsterous big-brother service like Google Talk. Aren't we giving Google enough power and dominance as it is? Edit: To commen…

All my friends use Google Talk since we all have Android phones and use it instead of SMS since it's free.

I've never used the voice/video desktop client though.

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#28

Post by Argorak »

p4bl0 wrote: post #24
Argorak wrote: post #16

Hm, 3 Options, of which one only supports Linux (Empathy) and one only supports Windows & Linux (Ekiga). Only Linphone seems to have platform support that comes close to Skype. So, cut it down to one. Personally, I think Linphone looks kind of dated and their site is full of google adwords. I would hesitate to send a link out to anyone.

Linphone is "just" a SIP client. Your contacts can use it if they want and you can use another SIP client. Just like Google Talk use XMPP and people can use any client to connect to their GTalk account and then talk with anyone using Jabber/XMPP (even not Google Talk). That's why open protocols are good. Because they're open.

I am fully aware of that. Still, this post markets them as "skype alternatives". I think the biggest problem of selling those 'open protocols' to people is that there is no consistent base client as in 'lets all switch to skype (client, protocol, server, whatever)'. I work in a company where we use all major OSes. If I came up with "hey lets switch to client A for Linux users, client B for windows users and client X for OS X", people would stone me. They want one thing: one software to rule it all.

Re: Bye Bye Skype, Top 3 Free Replacements

#29

Post by p4bl0 »

[deleted] wrote: post #26
p4bl0 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The word "evil" is too strong, I agree. But even if people continue to use Windows, at least they could use a software with an open protocol for their communications, not something with which you don't know what some company do with your data. Disclaimer: I'm guilty myself since I use facebook for instance.

[deleted]

English is not my natural language, I didn't knew that "guilt" is such a strong word. What I meant is that I say and think that it's much better to use open protocol and free software, in particular for (possibly private) communications, but that I know that it's not easy to do so when virtually everyone is using the same "wrong" (or maybe it's another too-strong word) thing. This is why I said that I'm using facebook, to nuance my comment.
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