Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#1

Post by ColinWright » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:20 PM UTC

I've just had to talk my 80-year-old father through setting up Skype on his new computer. For some reason he had to create a Microsoft account, and it was encouraging him to store all his documents on some drive in the cloud, and it combined his existing Skype account into the new Microsoft account, and all the while I was thinking "it shouldn't be like this."

It shouldn't be the case that for what could be, should be, a single, stand-alone application such as IP-telephony, there is all this cross-linking, central registration, etc., etc., etc., ...

It's probably a consequence of Microsoft buying out Skype and forcing integration with their own universe. So I ask, is there now an alternative to the centralized, you-will-do-everything-our-way system? I've searched, but had no success.

Suggestions?

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#2

Post by binarymax » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:24 PM UTC

A long list to go through, but this might be a good place to start. Hopefully it has what you need:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_VoIP_software

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#3

Post by pant » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:33 PM UTC

http://simplewebrtc.com/demo.html

Webrtc is here with p2p transmission of the camera + microphone (or files of course). I think it's time for all of us to move to p2p solutions that will come.

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#4

Post by jaggs » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:41 PM UTC

Use the Skype Desktop version instead -

http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-full

no sign in needed.

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#5

Post by benbristow » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:43 PM UTC

I know some people from 4chan's /g/ and some other people are working on an encrypted de-centralized Skype alternative called 'Tox'. You might want to help with the project.

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#6

Post by stoical » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:46 PM UTC

Mumble is the only one that springs to mind: http://mumble.sourceforge.net/ Its designed more for chat rooms but may be suitable.

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#7

Post by phaer » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:50 PM UTC

SIP + ZRTP. Jitsi and SFLPhone are decent clients, the people at ostel.co are working on some infrastructure to ease the usage of encrypted, decentralized VOIP but most public SIP providers should work your use case.

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#8

Post by aurora72 » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:51 PM UTC

This reminded me Richard Stallman's notes about the newly emerged Cloud Computing. He defined the CC as untrustable and advised to avoid.

I'd suggest IP Telephones. Most of them are capable of making direct P2P connections without even any VoIP server. They only need an external STUN server to arrange the NAT configuration if you use the IP Phone behind a NAT router (which is almost always the case) There are many free and realiable STUNS servers running on the Internet or you can construct your own.

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#9

Post by donnfelker » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:58 PM UTC

This reminds me of WebRTC and SIP technology. Chris Matthieu built something like this which is now http://www.Twelephone.com. But here you have to log in with your twitter account. Not 100% "I own everything" type of model but a lot less invasive, IMO.

Re: Ask HN: Skype, but properly peer-to-peer?

#10

Post by rakoo » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 1:05 PM UTC

stoical wrote: post #6

Mumble is the only one that springs to mind: http://mumble.sourceforge.net/ Its designed more for chat rooms but may be suitable.

Mumble works very well, but:

- It's not real p2p, it needs a server somewhere. OP can install one at home or they can use a public one, but it's required (and if you use a public server, you lose some privacy)

- Mumble only does Audio, no Video.

If you can live with those, mumble is the most straightforward Open Source voip solution to use, and I can't recommend it enough (been using it with my relatives, me on Linux, them on Windows: no problem)