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Skype 1.0 For Windows Released, Updated Linux Beta
egjertse writes "Today Skype launches its free Skype for Windows Version 1.0 software, which includes SkypeOut, enabling Skype users to pre-pay and call any phone number in the world at highly competitive local rates. Also included in Skype 1.0 is a new file transfer feature and other software enhancements. New beta versions of Skype for Linux (Previous Slashdot Story) and Skype for Pocket PC with the SkypeOut feature are also available. Here are the release notes."
Has anyone tried this? If so, is the sound quality high enough to bother with? Does it ever miss words or anything?
I've had problems with other services like this in the past, but maybe they have gotten better.
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...someone develops a phone that looks and feels like a regular household portable phone, but uses Skype via your home wifi network?
"I knew it was over when I downloaded Skype," Michael Powell, chairman, Federal Communications Commission, explained. "When the inventors of KaZaA are distributing for free a little program that you can use to talk to anybody else, and the quality is fantastic, and it's free - it's over. The world will change now inevitably."
Fortune Magazine, 16th February 2004
I don't see a 2/16/2004 edition of Fortune according to their archives but I did find an article on 2/9/2004 which I cannot see in its entirety (see here for more bitching about that topic).
I've been using Skype at home for a few days now; the sound quality is adequate, and I haven't had any problems with it; its probably equal or better than the POTS.
:)
Plus you can log into Skype onto multiple machines, if someone tries to contact you they both ring. I'm not sure about messaging yet though!
Still, I'll be downloading this and upgrading. I like it! Its definately worth a try out if you're interested in making phone calls. I've only tried the IP2IP connections btw, and have no idea of IP2POTS
Dug
P.S. I often make up words due to psudeoapathy.
Until someone does, Skype, a proprietary closed protocol, but the only "zero configuration" VoIP application I know of, is likely to continue to acquire users.
27.07.2004 Skype for Windows 1.0.0.9 * change: new EULA * change: minor text changes * change: changed progressbar colors
Okay, so we have BitTorrent that allows me to finally run a true Peer->Peer file transfer, sharing the resources I pay for via my cable modem.
Why can't we take VoIP and modify it to utilize all the phone lines that most people own that are usually sitting idle?
If I want to call from LA to NYC, then my outgoing connection is made from my PC to a PC that has a local NYC phone # so all toll charges are avoided.
As a user, I would specify which area codes (Exchanges) I want to allow people to be able to dial out from my phone with.
911, 411, 976, etc would all be blocked by default.
This way we can use the internet to make the calls to POTS lines without added expense.
There are several *NIX fax products that do this very thing. I would image the biggest difficulty would be getting enough folks to donate their phone lines for this purpose as well as being able to prevent anonymous calls from the network -- one would want a record of WHO called using their phone line in cases of abuse.
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Not yet, which is the beauty of it all. Friends of mine were all hyped up about this a few months back, but when I saw who was behind it I chose not to go with the flow. There are lots of provisions in licenses and texts that says they are allowed to add third party stuff later on under certain circumstances. They do say you have to agree, but couple that with provisions that say that they don't need to provide you with the next version and that new versions need not be compatible I think we all see where it is heading. Add in the fact that most users simply agree to anything, and we're already there.
I might well be wrong and they've seen the errors of their ways, but I doubt it. I'll just wait and see. It is quite possible I'll not support it simply because they've been *really* bad before and people who behave badly should not get away with it by just starting over.
Isn't this great? I was really excited to finally use the 1.0 version of Skype, only to get this notification when trying to start it: Skype is not compatible with system debuggers like Softice. And no, I didn't even have Softice running. This is the first time I encounter such a notice. Anyone else?
...is this is what you want.
SIP services traverse NAT without a problem.
There are several VoIP provider that will let you pick your software, and/or hardware to connect to their PBX. I have been using Nikotel.com for that http://www.nikotel.com/.
The only "good thing" about Skype seems to be that the per minute rates are slightly better than the competition. For example, where Nikotel charges 2.9c/min, Skype seems to charge 2.0c/min.
For this price difference, I would stick with an open standard, SIP, and an provider that let me know a Wifi phone if I'd like, or a softphone on Linux if this better suits what I need.
Jerome