Microsoft Skype + KGB = Brave New World :(

[Arenalgarden]

Google Voice only works in United States.

Nonsense. I call the US and Canada all I want for free and it's only a few cents/min to call Japan.
I'm in Costa Rica

[proxima_centauri]

let me see. ms now owns skype. it appears to me that billy g would not want skype to operate on linux. i guess its a wait and see game. stuff you ms.

[eiver]

Linux user-base is not significant in terms of numbers, but I would find it very funny, if everyone in the world just uninstalled Skype right now, making this 8.5 billion dollar acquisition the biggest, most epic fail of all time.

[george238]

Arenalgarden. Perhaps you can help me get around this then...."Google Voice is not available in your country.
Thanks for visiting Google Voice. We're not yet open for users outside the US, but are planning to expand our service to additional countries in the future. "

[Seano]

Linux user-base is not significant in terms of numbers, but I would find it very funny, if everyone in the world just uninstalled Skype right now, making this 8.5 billion dollar acquisition the biggest, most epic fail of all time.

That's my plan, but I still have another $7.65 AUD to use up and waiting on Allipink to let me know about the LinPhomne alternative, although I can probably work that out myself over the weekend with a few Yahoo! searches.

What makes me more curious than anything, is why would a good succesful venture suddenly sell out to M$? Can I trust that Microsoft isn't going to buy out Mint next week? All in all, I've got more credit on my Skype account than I have trust in my heart. Let's hope we can learn better who NOT to trust after this latest betrayal.

[Seano]

After some contemplation, I reckon that Microsoft would not try to by out Mint, nor Ubuntu, nor Debian, nor any other successful implementation of Linux, although their mouths must be watering over the opportunities that will never happen.

Skype is of value to M$ because it has created the network of telephonic bases across the world, which are of far more utility to Microsoft than the client base. Another top-down transaction, like a cathedral.

Microsoft will never be stupid enough to waste their scarce resources on any distrobution of Linux, because it's open source, and even if they found a way to try and do it, as soon as they stole away one distro, a thousand more would replace them. That's the bazaar foundation.

M$ bought Skype because Skype has the physical network connections. Not because Skype is especially good software.

[willie42]

Well I am not 100% about this but Microsoft can't buy out a Unix/Linux OS. they are open source. If I am wrong someone correct me. As for Microsoft buying Skype it will not have any affect for a few months.

[Seano]

Well I am not 100% about this but Microsoft can't buy out a Unix/Linux OS. they are open source. If I am wrong someone correct me. As for Microsoft buying Skype it will not have any affect for a few months.

It's all the same hardware, all the same chips, all the same registers: mov ax dx

Microsoft have the resources to create their own proprietory distro of Linux if they saw reason, but that would be self-defeating, because Linux would never have worked from the beginning if it was not open source. That is why io get the idea that they would never have bothered to buy out Skype if not for the fact that Skype have taken the trouble to setup local tranceivers for normal telephony across the world. That's the value of Skype, whether the source code was open or not.

[ThistleWeb]

Skype is an easy one-click cross platform VoIP solution, it's also a verb like Google, "Skype me". Currently all the other solutions are more complex to set up and use, specially for non-techie users, even more for those on Windows. I can see Microsoft using this as a Windows & Windows Phone 7 exclusive, knowing it's a draw for people. I can also see them integrate it within Microsoft Office for collaboration meaning it'll be even harder for LibreOffice to fit into some work situations.

It might mean Linux users either removing it (and finding alternate ways to keep in contact with people on their Skype buddy list who may only use Skype) on principle over it's new owners, or running a Windows exe in Wine or a Windows VM. I'd hope that it acts as a focus rod for a proper FOSS alternative to emerge.

I've found SIP to work (sometimes) but getting it working on the Windows end when you're on the remote end of the conversation is all but impossible. I did try Mumble a few days ago, that's seriously worth a look. Mumble is a client / server thing though where Skype is an all-in-one. About a month ago GNU announced they were working on some VoIP solution too.

For now I'm taking a "wait and see" approach. For now all I see is Microsoft having tried and failed to put out their own VoIP solution and saw the market reject it, buy the existing leader and gain market share that way. They do that so often it wasn't really a surprise that they bought Skype. Despite what Microsoft have done in the past, or what their plans for Skype are, the fact that they seem to aim for technical incompetence means it may not turn out as they planned.

[eiver]

M$ bought Skype because Skype has the physical network connections. Not because Skype is especially good software.

Actually physical network is just a small % of the 8.5 billion dollar deal. The real value is the 40+ mln user-base. With such a large user-base one can dictate appropriate prices for ads.

[anton_checkov]

I'm pretty sure that Skype won't be free for download now. Microsoft = Moneysoft.

[lmintnewb]

Found this while playing around on google. Only one I've used ( and still use ) on the list, is google voice.

http://gigaom.com/collaboration/9-great ... ideo-chat/

Some other potential options mentioned in the comment section in the lower part of the post/article.

And another list of alternatives I found. Some of them looked pretty good. May even try a few of em out myself.

http://www.tecrux.com/2011/01/01/best-f ... ves-skype/

[Summersky]

Found this while playing around on google. Only one I've used ( and still use ) on the list, is google voice.

http://gigaom.com/collaboration/9-great ... ideo-chat/

Some other potential options mentioned in the comment section in the lower part of the post/article.

And another list of alternatives I found. Some of them looked pretty good. May even try a few of em out myself.

http://www.tecrux.com/2011/01/01/best-f ... ves-skype/

Good lists. Thanks!

[lmintnewb]

Definitely welcome .. anything that helps fellow linux and linux mint users out. Plus as an added benefit, if people can turn up some good alternatives for people 2 use. It hurts M$ ... icing on da cake.

lol ...
V

[Summersky]

Definitely welcome .. anything that helps fellow linux and linux mint users out. Plus as an added benefit, if people can turn up some good alternatives for people 2 use. It hurts M$ ... icing on da cake.

So far I can only interest my friends in google talk, because while we all have different OS, we all have gmail. Im in the us so it's working well for me. Not sure how it will work for european friends. And cake is better when it's frosted.

[allypink]

Definitely welcome .. anything that helps fellow linux and linux mint users out. Plus as an added benefit, if people can turn up some good alternatives for people 2 use. It hurts M$ ... icing on da cake.

So far I can only interest my friends in google talk, because while we all have different OS, we all have gmail. Im in the us so it's working well for me. Not sure how it will work for european friends. And cake is better when it's frosted.

I have installed the Google talk add-on and have just finished a video conversation with my brother in Airle Beach Queensland Australia (about 1000ks from me) and it works better than Skype ever did. Why did we put up with Skype for so long?? Bah humbug! Have also got it working with Empathy. Works OK but not as good as Google native.
I use Firefox 3.6 on Mint 10, so I don't see that the country or region should make any difference.
Once again (still) a Microsoft free zone.

[george238]

The country does make a difference...Quote :- "Don't see the Call phone feature? At this time it's only available for use in the United States. Please ensure that your Gmail interface language is set to English (US)." I use Skype (from Portugal) to phone land line phones so at the moment I cannot see a way around the problem. So, anyone not living in the States who reckons they can use the service perhaps they can enlighten me and other people, as to how they do it ??!!

[Summersky]

... how they do it ??!!

Hmmm..... http://www.google.com/talk/

I think you're right. I have the one on the left, Video and voice plug-in, which has a linux version. The one on the right, Google Talk, appears to be windows only. I thought they were both Google Talk because of the url, but apparently not. Apologies.

The video and voice plug-in allows free voice and video calls computer to computer. Calls to phones do appear to be restricted to the US.

... and it works better than Skype ever did. Why did we put up with Skype for so long?? Bah humbug!

Agreed! It's much better than skype was for video conferencing.

[Daveleh]

My understanding with the google talk plugin is that it is goggle to google only. What if my main contact uses yahoo?

Rgds

[allypink]

My understanding with the google talk plugin is that it is goggle to google only. What if my main contact uses yahoo?

Rgds

No you can run it in Empathy and Ekiga, but it seems to work better through it's native Google mail. I'm sure anyone with the time and patience will be able to set up Empathy and Ekiga to run as well as the native Google. You don't have to run through Google if you don't want to. All you need is a Google account.