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Skype For Mac OS X and Linux
Pablo Martinez-Almeida writes "Skype has just announced full versions of its software for Mac OS X and for Linux.
Now I'm only waiting for some conversations recording feature. (via Om Malik on broadband)"
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Can anyone tell me if this is loaded with spyware? I'm up to my neck with a project and don't have the normal time to research this.
My apologies for the lazy attitude today, but somebody had to ask.
_damnit_
It's my job to freeze you. -- Logan's Run
I've been using Skype on Linux for months, and using it to talk to my girl who has a Mac. I really fail to see the newsworthiness of this?
Is it legal to record conversations on POTS? If not, is it legal on VoIP, since perhaps the Internet doesn't fall under regular wire-tapping laws? Oh BTW, maybe reference back to the /. story a few days back about Google apparently starting a VoIP product (at least in the UK, which was the source of the article) in the near future. I think we can assume that if Google doing VoIP is true, they'll have a way to record coversations.
"My girlfriend's got sodium laureth sulfate hair."
Does anyone know what's happened to the Helix grant that was supposed to bring VoIP to Jabber last year. https://jabber.helixcommunity.org/
For about a year and a half, I had to locate myself in Philly while keeping operations of our company up and running in California. My business partner and I had weekly meetings, starting out with Chat on OS X, then audio chat. When we discovered Skype, we switched to that. We found that it seemed to work a bit better. I even used my PS 2 USB headset (originally purchased for SOCOM II) and enjoyed the experience.
Granted, we used it on a very basic level...simply for online chat. I'm looking forward to bigger and better uses, especially loading it onto a wifi-enabled PDA and using it as a "cell phone".
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts...for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang
Turns out that Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ will do this just fine. In fact a quick google for skypecasting will pop up some instructions on how do this.
I hear when you do that, you get Director Commentary as an added bonus. (still trying to figure out what agency he is a director of though)
Which part do you doubt?
That Echelon logs voice traffic (even standard POTS)? The Congressional inquiries already got that information out.
Or do you think that "speech to text" logging is years away, and understood only by those scientists reverse engineering UFO parts?
Or are you so comfortable with Big Brother, that you'll refuse to believe even an admission by the government that this exists?
Or do you just hate freedom pesky Bill of Rights which may be used to protect people who are law abiding, but perhaps too dark to gay or too poor for your comfort level.
Nations never go "mad" like the Stalinists or the Nazi's... they just persecute the fringes, treating those who will turn a blind eye (like yourself) as "good" people.
Given your discrediting statement, when this stuff is NOT A STATE SECRET... I'd have to conclude you understand the issues but that you have about as much appreciation for democracy as the World Bank. You Pig.
Well, I'm on Ubuntu. But I've never had to run it as root. I just downloaded the dynamic binary, put it in my home folder, and ran it. It works fine. =)
However, is Skype a phone conversation? What about logging IM messages, or irc conversations?
My patience is infinite, my time is not.
In other words, you are saying it's very hard to install spyware on a Linux or Mac and therefore no one actually codes spyware for the Mac because they neither get enough people to be worth while nor is it as easy as say on a windows box and therefore no effective spyware programs exist.
I would much rather you have said "yes you are naive, here are a list of Spyware apps for Linux and Mac." Instead you basically said "Yes it's possible to get spyware on your Mac or Linux box if someone bothered to code it and someone went around their ass to get to their elbow." What kind of logic is that? There is no rock hard evidence that either platform has any kind of penetration into spyware common on the PC.
PS, I just googled spyware for mac and found discussions on spyware, adds for PC spyware, and a mac company I'd never heard before with a broken website that promise a list of mac spyware "coming soon" and a forum that hasn't been updated by anyone in the company for over 6 months.
"All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"
Skype is special only in that it works behind a firewall, in my opinion.
I would not have even started using it, but the alternatives (linphone, kphone, gnome-meeting, etc) either had to have ports opened on the firewalls of both parties involved in communication, or wouldn't work at all unless DMZ'ed (h323 wont work behind firewalls gnome-meeting/netmeeting).
This is a big deal to mostly due to the possibility of talking to non-geeks, you know, people who don't know what ports are, unless you count those things filled with water and ships.
Computer to computer VoIP used to stink for this reason: not many people to talk to, and the ones that are able are techies. Skype has changed this.
If it's not one thing, it's Steve's Mother
I've been using Skype for Mac for a little while now, and I'm impressed with the quality of the UI on Mac OS X, and the fact that they're supporting four (count them, four) platforms with fully native interfaces on each platform. That's not something to sneeze at (we have enough problems with two where I work). These guys seem to really get attention to detail.
Just the fact that they can afford to do the UIs as well as they have, as fast as they have, hints at how lucrative their SkypeOut business is.- Allen Pike
Altering time, one time at a time.
I created two accounts. I am in Japan, using a US card. When I called my girlfriend while she was in England, it was every day and could run aroun 8 euros per day. I was spending 40 euros a week approximately. After 2 weeks or so of this, one account could no longer use the card. So I would switch to a second account and do the same. By the time the second account could not use that card, I would switch back to the first account and everything would be back to normal. Try that. I asked the Skype people and they said it was allowed, and that usually when the cards are blocked it is a security sign that is flagged due to frequent use and is blocked with that account. Not all accounts. Just that one.
Man, before I figured that out, I really let 'em have it -- I have spent over 500 USD on Skype in 6 months, and they have the gall to block my card?
They were great to work with, and very friendly, despite those problems.
Between Adium for MSN, Skype for outgoing calls (from me when I needed to make them, and incoming calls from my friends who all were on skype), and email I had my communication covered.
This also had the only slightly intended benefit of freeing me from having to rush to answer the phone, ever, or having annoying group members be able to call me. Depending on how you choose to live your life, you don't have to be at anyone's call. You're not beholden to them. You may not be a beautiful and unique snowflake, but you can control when/where you talk to people.
In an increasingly connected world, the luxury becomes being out of touch.
(Yes I believe in technology. Yes, my iBook usually leaves the house with me. No I don't have a cellphone. No, nobody wants to talk to me anyway. This way I save money. It all works out. It's much like being able avoid viruses, even on windows, if your computer is unplugged and locked in a closet. You disconnect, they can't get you. This disconnection leaves you in control.)
You can have your peace and quiet. You just have to want it.
Here in Sweden two or three companies are offering SIP POTS service. I buy service from one of them and use asterisk to record all my conversations as mp3. The entire experience is documented here. http://snippsnapp.polite.se/wiki?RecordingWithAste risk