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Project Gizmo Challenges Skype
valmont writes "The Register is offering an interesting introduction to Project Gizmo, a new player in the Voice over IP field, poised to challenge Skype with its ability to interoperate with others thanks to the SIP protocol it complies to. Whereas Skype has selectively licensed usage of an API that offers limited insight into a closed protocol, a closed ecosystem solely controlled by one organization, the SIP protocol is open. Free open-source proxy/server implementations are sprouting up, and many developers are actively working on SIP clients. The Gizmo Project is the first to bring a truly-usable, user-friendly, cross-platform SIP client (Mac, Windows, Linux coming soon) to market. Meanwhile, theappleblog.com is already offering a Gizmo Project Wish-List to promote better interoperability between current and upcoming SIP providers, to make it more practical for users of disparate SIP clients to communicate with one another."
Just don't get it wet... or feed it after midnight...
-FL
I've also posted a couple of tips and tricks on getting Gizmo working with other SIP systems, and also listing some other players in the SIP field.
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What about a BSD compatable client? Last I checked... there are no x86 voip clients that run on openbsd. Although, it is great to see them creating a cross platform client.
Ineen is similar to Gizmo but it also has IM and video. It seems like companies are falling over themselves to give away SIP clients these days.
Ineen and Gizmo are still client-server SIP systems, but to truly compete with Skype, the IETF is working on P2P extensions to SIP.
SunRocket, a VOIP company, has a hardware device called "The Gizmo" (see SunRocket How to Install and you'll see their adapter named "The Gizmo"). I can't find anything to indicate which came first though.
Michael Robertson of MP3.com and the Linux distro formerly known as Lindows. Say what you want about the guy, he's a very good self promoter and knows when to jump on a new technology. This should be interesting to watch.
Having competing standards and companies in the field will make for better services for the users. Open standards are great, since they improve interoperability and reliability. For example, people can writing their own clients, etc.
However, the project is not open-source. At least, their about us page doesn't mention it. They only say:
Methinks someone at the Register got confused. Those other clients written may be open-source or even free software, but the client they offer surely isn't. Their server software is not even offered for download (nor should it necessarily be -- that's what they want to make the money off, of course).Didn't you ever hear the rule that once you have to explain a joke, it's no longer funny? ..heh...
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
Credit where credit is due: Project Gizmo is yet another invention of Mp3.com creator, Lindows/Linspire creator, long-time enemy of Microsoft Michael Robertson.
Can't remember his connection to SCO, though...
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SIPs achillies heel is its inability to play nice once NAT and/or firewalls are added to the equation.
For me Skype's most important feature is its ability to play nice with firewalls and NAT.
Although this project looks kinda interesting...
Finally a solution for Linux gamers that will actually be a reality. Solutions like Teamspeak (which doesn't work with ALSA and isn't even open source) don't work very well. It's exciting to finally hear that Linux gamers and Windows gamers can finally listen and talk to each other soon on one free client. Anyone use any teamspeak-like client on Linux to talk to other gamers on Windows and both can use the soundout without using ARTS or other similar methods?
Stanaphone.com is the FIRST usable multi-platform SIP application. They offer more free things than Skype does (it's a real telephone number for example, for free). Quality is not that great though, I prefer Gizmo's.
Skype works well enough for me, the sound quality is more than okay for telephony, and the latency really isn't bad at all considering. And the Linux client is stable, and is a snap to install. However, I don't use it because:
1 - There's outgoing traffic from my box all the time. I know it's the P2P routing, but it's a bit unsettling to watch it chew away that much bandwidth
2 - It's made by the Kazaa people, and therefore who know what the hell it does behind your back (spyware?). I straced it, and didn't see anything nasty a-priori, but I don't trust Kazaa folks in that respect, period.
3 - The most disquieting feature: it goes some UDP magic to punch its way out of the firewall without telling you anything of what it does. That's sneaky. I know they claim it's for user friendliness and easy of installation and yada, but I say the networking code is too damn sneaky for my strict Unix-bred style of making sure software I install behaves predictably.
So I can't *wait* for an open-source (or at least open-standard, as Gizmo pegs itself) Skype replacement. The biggest problem of course, now, will be to have a compelling enough alternative that the millions of Skype users are willing to switch over, which isn't too likely.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Free speech, no. There's a EULA (http://www.gizmoproject.com/gizmo-end-user.html) which grants:
Among other items is this:
FreeWorldDialup has been doing pretty much the same thing for years now. They even have their own pre-configured software. If you don't like the Pulver Communicator you can always get one of half a dozen other SIP phones (soft or otherwise) that work with the service. They even offer a pre-configured version of The SJPhone, which is essentially what the Gizmo folks are offering. If you want a dial-out service FWD offers a choice of affiliates who can give you that portion a-la-carte!
So, why would you want to use Gizmo?
Signatures are a waste of bandwi (buffering...)
I'm not a big fan of Skype, but the "UDP Magic" you speak of is a normal technique used for bypassing firewalls in modern UDP applications. On the protocal level, it's no more of a dirty trick than network address translation is to begin with, and on the user level it's no more relevent than TCP vs. UDP. There's no security issue here.
-- The act of censorship is always worse than whatever is being censored. Always.
Skype for all the gripe we may have against it for being closed source and not interoperable with other VOIP providers (FWD, Vonage etc..) does have the most important feature (and holds a monopoly for it too):Encryption
I didn't like having an old fart snooping on my AIM conversations a few years ago and I put an end to it very quick; I've been using Trillian and now Adium with secure IM and OTR encryption.
As much as I like having cheap calls and all I rather my private conversations stay.. well... private.
Skype is the only interplatform secure voice application.
Gizmo can take it's fancy gui and go right back to the drawing board as far as I'm concerned.
If you ask me voip with sip (ala vonage) is just a disaster waiting to happen, sooner or later somebody will write an article in NYTimes or some mass distribution newspaper about how insecure and easy it is for somebody on your campus/office/wifi... LAN to record your conversation and everybody is going to freak out.
Encryption should be built-in NOW before it is too late to change the standards.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity
Ok, we admit it's a lame name, but we think the product is solid. Here's why it's significant:
- It is based on SIP so other SIP hardware and software should interoperate. Check out http://www.siphardware.com/ for some of the hardware devices. I have a Call-in-One so a SIP call rings my home phone. Even a wifi SIP phone should work with Gizmo.
- It navigates firewalls and NATS. Skype has done this well, but SIP clients have generally not. Gizmo Project should penetrate just about any firewall or NAT setup. I used it successfully on Boeing's wifi service on flight to Frankfurt 2 weeks ago bouncing calls off satellites.
- It's Mac/Win today and YES, there will be Linux client shortly. No, really.
- We're committed to an open directory meaning that we will interconnect with everyone. We already connect to many big and small networks. See: http://sipphone.com/numbers/. We do enum lookups. We even support the intriguing DUNDI extension for Astericks. I want VOIP world to be like email where one address is reachable by everyone. I hope VOIP does NOT become like IM where AOL can't talk to MSN who can't talk to Y, etc. If you care to read more about why I think this is important, you can go to: http://michaelrobertson.com/.
- All calls on IP network are free as is voicemail, call recording, conference calling, etc. (try calling 1-222-xxx-xxxx and create an instant conference call with unlimited number of callers.) Only have to pay if touching the PSTN. We do give you 25 cents for free to check out the PSTN quality.
- Be nice because it's just beta software! Thx.
-- MR
The license for Gizmo Project software is quite clear, the software doesn't even qualify for the weaker standard of "open source" (weaker than "free software" which requires that the user have permission to make private derivatives):
The company offers what they call "Opensource support", which appears to be little more than name-dropping. But I expect people around here to know better than to take on faith whatever a proprietor says.
At the very least, even if there is no intention to bamboozle users into adopting the software, this is yet another use of the term "Opensource" which shows how people don't understand what that term means. Reminiscent of examples of same from the FSF essay on the differences between the free software and open source movements (examples include Neal Stephenson's writing, the State of Kansas' definition, and a particularly interesting example from a trade show in late 1998).
As a result of a little digging into Project Gizmo, I still see no real competition for GNOMEMeeting. I see one more proprietor asking me to install a mysterious program on my computer so that the proprietor can do something on my computer that I am prohibited from inspecting, sharing, or modifying.
Digital Citizen
I often use skype, but in the quest for a SIP# along with my skype experience, I tried this yesterday.
I is a fairly hopeless alternative to skype, at least for the time being. Gizmo gives you "free" minutes of which you can use to test the system, but, try as I might, I was unable to make a call outside of the US, as 001, the country code for the US was prefixed onto any number I entered in.
Add the random shutdowns when editing certain options (of which there are a distinct lack of) and odd, finicky menus which stay open and dont have a close button, and you have yourself Gizmo.
Having said that, if they can sort those problems out then they will be onto a winner. It is certainly far easier setup than any other SIP/softphone system Ive used.