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Skype shutdown: where are free software and free protocols?
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Comments (6)
Yes, I've used SIP a little here and there (played with ekiga a bit), and thought it worked just fine.
The whole Skype thing has always seemed over-hyped to me. Sure it works, but it's a proprietary program using a proprietary protocol on a proprietary peer-to-peer transmission system. (do you REALLY want your voip packets hopping through who knows who's computer?) And from what I've seen their track record with the *nix ports hasn't exactly been stellar.
Of course, as usual we in the US seem to be far behind the rest of the world when it comes to implementing the open standards and protocols (GSM, SIP, etc.). Everyone just LOVES their proprietary software and vendor lockin (Skype, CDMA networks, Carrier locked phones, etc, etc, etc.). I guess the companies are all afraid of having real competition and actually having to compete on quality of service and features rather than gimicks like being the only cell carrier with shiny new phone X.
*shrug*
The whole Skype thing has always seemed over-hyped to me. Sure it works, but it's a proprietary program using a proprietary protocol on a proprietary peer-to-peer transmission system. (do you REALLY want your voip packets hopping through who knows who's computer?) And from what I've seen their track record with the *nix ports hasn't exactly been stellar.
Of course, as usual we in the US seem to be far behind the rest of the world when it comes to implementing the open standards and protocols (GSM, SIP, etc.). Everyone just LOVES their proprietary software and vendor lockin (Skype, CDMA networks, Carrier locked phones, etc, etc, etc.). I guess the companies are all afraid of having real competition and actually having to compete on quality of service and features rather than gimicks like being the only cell carrier with shiny new phone X.
*shrug*
Maybe E-Bay should contact Digium to work out some replacement technology for the Super Secret Proprietary stuff they've been licensing...
Why not? Porting Skype to SIP just might work. Then again, Skype would loose the lock-in they have now, because any SIP user could call a Skype user and vice versa.
> ...because any SIP user could call a Skype user and vice versa.
If you're paying for ingoing and outgoing calls, you can do that now.
If you're paying for ingoing and outgoing calls, you can do that now.
Looking at the Wikipedia Skype pays shows that 80%-90% of the calls are free calls now. Those are the calls that lock users into Skype. They would loose that.
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For proof that SIP works, just look at Europe. I hope that Skype collapses and that everyone moves to SIP.