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Cross-Platform Video Chat For Linux?
Ethan1701 writes "Some of my friends are using iChat to stay in touch and gap the distance of the Atlantic. I'm feeling left out on my Fedora Gnome based desktop. Is there a good program for Gnome that provides cross-platform instant messaging and video chat? This rules out Skype and aMSN, as well as any other app that's specific for the ICQ/AOL Network. Kopete is for KDE. Pidgin doesn't intend to develop video-chat, I haven't found a plugin for it that provides video, and Gaim-vv hasn't been developed in over two years and is so out of date that it's still going by Gaim and not Pidgin. Do Slashdot readers have an application that meets these needs? Maybe even one that surpasses iChat?"
http://www.ekiga.org/
Ekiga seems to do what you want, it has pretty good support for various kinds of webcams in Linux.
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
Pidgin doesn't intend to develop video-chat
http://developer.pidgin.im/wiki/GSoC2008/VoiceAndVideo
"Making good progress: it works"
So its coming along.
How we know is more important than what we know.
You could always RDP or VNC to your Windows box running Trillian or a Mac running iChat. There's also VMWare or xVM (VirtualBox). Not pretty, but would work... and I think I recall at least some version of Trillian being pretty stable with WINE.
I think there is a text chat plug-in for lynx.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
It's cross platform and video chat definitely works, I don't see the submitters problem with it.
My UID is prime... is yours?
No, second.
with at least some cameras. I got some $25 walmart webcam and it works on Skype with my cheapo linux laptop. If the submitter is really hankering for 'open source' and 'practical' and 'easy to use', then he/she is SOL - there's no good options that satisfy all those requirements.
creation science book
Empathy has video chat using jingle, it is compatible with Google Talk on windows (if you use Jabber). And it uses Telepathy, so it supports many many protocols. That said, Voice/Video are currently only supported for Jabber and SIP, there is ongoing work to make it work with MSN too.
The Pidgin-vv work is actually very much alive and you should see a release soon.
Empathy IM is worth mentioning. It's pretty basic right now, but it's been incorporated into the Gnome project and is developing rapidly. Check it out.
what 'kopete' is, but if its a linux app, and it offers the features you need, use it. KDE and Gnome are not OS platforms, they are just windowing environments.
I use a variety of both KDE *AND* Gnome applications, and yet I am not running either KDE *or* Gnome.
I don't understand.
I'm in Skype right now on my Fedora/KFCE laptop, talking with a friend in the Ukraine who is using Kubuntu and I just got off a conference with a few people in our office in California who use MacOSX and Windows Vista.
What am I missing about Skype that makes it unusable?
Just because it uses the KDE libraries doesn't mean you can't run it in Gnome (provided you have the KDE libraries)
But this one has me boggled.
Video - over RDP/VNC is not a solution.
Video and Audio processing is intense.
Once again, while Linux is free - you get what you pay for.
I do my video chats with Skype with both Windows and Mac clients. It works wonderfully.
There is no GOOD reason to limit yourself to one OS. Computers are cheap and OS's are free and cheap.
Mercury messenger is java based (and thus cross-platform) and uses MSN messenger service including webcam chat (I'm not sure about audio-only chat). I use it in Mac OS X and works quite decently, and it is available in with package installer for Mac OS X, deb (Debian/Ubuntu) and rpm (Fedora/Redhat/many Others), and it is also available as tgz. I'm not sure if it is open source, though. List of features (from their website): * Sign in with multiple accounts, Fast file transfering, Simultaneous sending & receiving webcam, Offline messaging, Extensive event notifications, User defined event actions, Single window (tabbed) conversations, Customizable contact list, Customizable message views, Custom status icons, Custom emoticons, Resource saving (Webcam streams, Display pictures, Emoticons), HTTP Proxy, Yahoo contacts, Audio/Video conference, Multi OS, Runs from USB stick, Language support Website: http://mercury.im/
"I'm feeling left out on my Fedora Gnome based desktop."
If you were running Ubuntu...
Sig this!
Despite the fact you said "this rules out Skype", and asserted the KDE applications won't work for you, in fact, both Skype and KDE applications will run fine under Gnome.
I personally use Gkype under Gnome with zero problems, although I've only played with the video-conferencing features and not used them in earnest.
I don't know if it works with Linux, but I know it works with both Windows and OS X, so its worth a try. Basically they have software built into the web page that allows you to share your video and audio, streaming it directly to them.
Then from them, you can stream it out to any number of people. That doesn't really allow for two way video chat, but it may give you the option of getting your video out.
Use Kopete anyways? It won't kill you. Loading the libraries for both UI tool kits wont make your computer explode.
Just because an idea is popular doesn't make it right.
"I'm feeling left out"
:-)
Congratulations, you've just comprehended the whole of Apple's advertising strategy.
>> Gaim-vv hasn't been developed in over two years and is so out of date that it's still going by Gaim and not Pidgin.
Gaim has been renamed to Pidgin a while now (even on my Windows PC).
You may want to try Digsby, I heard the new update to it has video support too.
slashdot rocks
http://www.qutecom.org/
Digsby is a nice cross platform, multi-protocol IM client. I use it at work with XPpro and at home with Vista and Ubuntu to connect to Yahoo, MSN and Google Talk networks. Works flawlessly so far... Supports the requested ICQ and AOL networks.
So what? It will work fine (though I don't know that it will do waht you want). It just won't match the rest of your desktop. With few exceptions KDE applications work fine on a Gnome "desktop" and vice-versa.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
how about if you bring your car to my mechanic shop. you say 'can i convert it to hybrid'. i say, 'well, no, but there are guys up in washington state who sell conversion kits'. 'is there a kit for my car'. 'well, no but, if we take a transmission just like yours and send it to them, they can fabricate a coupler.' "ok what about the battery box". 'well, thats in progress'.
Are you doing all this for me for free? If so, I should say "thank you" and not fucking complain.
How we know is more important than what we know.
http://www.openwengo.org/ Works well for me. Cross platform and works well for me.
When single shines the triple sun, What was sundered and undone, Behold! The two made one! ~Rubbs
Gizmo's got everything you need - plus you can escape the world of Skype! It does video, voice, chat, and conference...
It has had webcam support for donkeys!
FYI you may want to look at xmeeting type things. xmeeting is for windows and os x, but it's h.323, and is compatible with other h.323 video systems. It works great with polycoms for example. (ichat I hear is also h.323 but isn't cross-compatible for god-knows-what-reason) There's gotta be an h.323 compatible something for linux.
Note that you will lose some of the frills like buddy lists, text chat, etc, but you do sometimes get new toys... with xmeeting for example, you can aim/zoom the remote polycom. I don't know of any other video chat cross platform anything that lets you do that sort of thing.
Still don't understand why you're writing off skype though. Works spectacularly well on windows and mac, and I thought there was skype for linux also?
It's been my experience that ichat is more reliable and smoother / better quality for video chats, whereas skype does voice much better. Both seem pretty good at automatically working through NAT on both ends, which I'm sure if I saw all the shenanigans they had to do to pull that off, I'd pass out.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
I believe you are looking for Yakkle. Check out Yakkle.com for more info. IM, Voice, Video , Desktop sharing... It's the best kept secret for open source communication.
http://tokbox.com/ does multi person video conferencing all through flash and the web browser, so no need to install an app. I believe Flash 10 supports v4l and v4l2 so it should work in linux, haven't tested it though.
Would a service like Tokbox work? It uses Flash for audio and video.
It's what Digsby on Windows uses for their audio and video chatting.
Seconding Tokbox.
Use it through Meebo.com
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
i'm guessing it's not the first time given he is using a linux desktop.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
How about anything that supports H.323? GnomeMeeting, NetMeeting, etc. It would be a lot easier to set up a multi-platform H.323 network than one that used proprietary protocols based on the various chat networks.
There is always an option of Getting a Mac. Sometimes sticking to your guns on some moral high ground has a cost as well. But depending on the technical level of your friends having them run an App so you can join in too may not work. As they may not use it. THey may be using iChat for AIM talking then they need to switch to a different app Which may not be as nice as iChat to talk to you. Will probably just become you doing a text chat while the others are using iChat for video. The more people you convince to use a different app the harder it gets.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I'd much rather use aMSN or even more so future aMSN2 then mercury. Try it out, it runs on OS X to, much slower than Adium obviously but anyway.
If you have a Yahoo account or aren't opposed to getting one, you could give GYachI a try ... it looks like it hasn't been worked on in almost two years, but video messaging works pretty well http://gyachi.sourceforge.net/
I do not think that word means what you think it means.
Is there a reason you haven't looked into Gizmo?
http://gizmo5.com/
Linux, Mac, Windows
Has video conferencing. Though, I do have to honestly say I don't know if it works on Linux (I hear other people raving about Gizmo, and its video conf. abilities, and they're linux users, so I assumed... so sorry if I'm leading you off on a wild goose chase).
If you have ever used Paltalk they now have a web based version of their video & audio chat service in Beta. It works very well through Mozilla but for now only the audio portion is working and video will be working sometime this month. Check it out. www.paltalk.com/express
That was the submitters problem with it, along with kopete, which also works well. Stupid I know.
Give the kid a break. He used a car analogy and everything. He's been doing his homework.
www.meebo.com supports aol msn jabber yahoo google talk and icq video chat and audio chat.
>>Are you doing all this for me for free? If so, I should say "thank you" and not fucking complain.
I am not the OP, but I hate this attitude. A developer myself, full time for very esoteric scientific software, who has given very significantly to open source projects in the past, GNU Octave, users provide valuable feedback (yes, only 1% of time), but you have got to ignore the rest.
Nobody owes me anything for my contributions -- I gave it to society. I don't expect and won't tolerate harassment by users (several people over the years got my email address and kept on asking inappropriate questions - I'm not your own personal tech support), but somebody saying "x used to work, now it doesn't" doesn't rile me up. In the case of Octave, we hope that enterprises can use it as an alternative to the big player (you probably know it.) If the software sucked, it could really mess people up.
So, just ignore the griefers, take what you can from the positive suggestions, and stop self-righteously telling people to shut up.
-
I like to use this example: Imagine somebody built a house for habitat for humanity, but then a person complains of a nail sticking up from the floor.
Builder one says, "We built this house for FREE. Shut up and stop complaining!"
Builder two says, "I can hammer it down next week when I get some time, or here is how you can fix it yourself."
Who does more for society? Who is a better person?
I've come across as a bit self-righteous above (oh the irony) -- that was not my intent, just pointing out my own philosophy, which I hold very strongly.
>Some of my friends are using iChat to stay in touch and gap >the distance of the Atlantic. I'm feeling left out on my
>Fedora Gnome based desktop. Is there a good program
>for Gnome that provides cross-platform instant messaging
>and video chat? This rules out Skype and aMSN, as well as
>any other app that's specific for the ICQ/AOL Network
Wait, are you serious? You say "I'm feeling left out". The most obvious solution is of course, buy a Mac and use iChat, but I can understand you want to stay in Linux - that's understandable.
But then you say it rules out Skype and aMSN - why? Skype is cross-platform and it does video. In fact, it's probably your best choice. It's not _specifically_ for gnome, but if you are going to be that picky, then you aren't so much feeling left out, as feeling bitchy. Also it leaves out any app specific to AIM/ICQ? Why is that? There could be a perfectly good cross-platform video app that works with AIM video.. and you don't want it? Seems you aren't feeling that left out at all since you are making excuses not to use everything. I would think something using AIM would be *best* since iChat supports it!
Step 1: Run Kopete.
Glad I could help. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Is there any chance you get this with Swing?
I really hate Java, especially the toolkit...
For that Web 2.0 glamour, Meebo.com runs the popular IM services on a webpage and supports video chat via Adobe Flash and v4l/v4l2 support. http://meebo.com/
then use the video chat demo. its a java app on apache server, that uses a flash and html client
I was using it between ubuntu and windows yesterday, and I'm 100% sure that there's a mac version since I see it on forums all the time.
everyone seems to have missed this. ive used it and it definately does do video and works with live messenger. but its probably a bit of an arms race with live constantly trying to break it.
try it out
http://www.amsn-project.net/
also video support under linux is more a v4l level driver thing and generally doesnt have anything to do with a specific app being compatible with a particular webcam, so i dont know why people have been discussing the webcam support of specific apps.
the submitter said his friends were using iChat to keep in touch.. that would mean he wants an app that can work with iChat. The best bet for that would be something that uses the AIM protocols (like iChat) and supports video. That would mean that Skype doesn't cut it at this time.
Read more carefully. I have used Skype on my Mac before and iChat and Yahoo Messenger. Of course iChat on the Mac is far better than Skype at both audio and video chat.
So I can't see this guy having all his iChat using friends switching to Skype just to include him and his Linux machine.
How about Gizmo from http://gizmo5.com/pc/ ?
It is not open source, but is multiplatform. Works on Window, Mac, Linux and Nokia Tablets. I was trying to use it some versions ago, but it lacked one important (for me) feature. You were not able to send a text to someone who was offline, to let him get it after he logs on later.
Have you tried TokBox?
We have flash-based video chat, with an air desktop client (haven't tried that on Linux though). I use it all the time to talk to my parents back home.
(Disclaimer: I work there).
Some of the people in my (physics) research group use EVO online. It is written in java and seems to work just fine on multiple platforms, provided java web start works for you (we've got it working reliably on 64-bit SuSE 11).
http://evo.caltech.edu/evoGate/
SIGSEGV caught, terminating
wait... not that kind of sig.
try http://www.meebo.com/Meebo ?
QuantumG, some of the things you say are reasonable, but sometimes you just lose the thread entirely and enter pure la la land. This is one such case.
Bad programming or bad design are sometimes excusable, for example when the developer has inadequate technical background or experience, but they are never defensible under any circumstances, regardless of whether the software is being produced for a multi-million dollar product or for a small non-commercial community project.
Excusing poor practice is reasonable because it can be remedied through dedication and experience, and both the project and the developer benefit in the process, as do the end users.
But defending poor practice is never reasonable, because it doesn't help the developer to learn to do better, it results in friction within its own community (since other developers and the more clued up users know that things could be better), and it obviously doesn't help end users at all.
What's more, your "if you want it done differently, then do it" advice is at best a recipe for forking, which is never a good idea unless the current project leadership is completely beyond the pale, and at worst it's nothing more than a brush-off. It achieves nothing at all, beyond giving the bad developer a get-home-free card.
Making your personal project into a FOSS one doesn't come burdened with many responsibilities, but it does carry one: to act reasonably on behalf of your users, and that includes acting upon their suggestions --- yes, even some of the whiny ones because where there is smoke there is also usually fire. Putting yourself beyond criticism and beyond appeal for change is not a responsible attitude, and defending the unresponsive developer and/or his bad practice is itself the height of irresponsibility to the users of a project.
Whether the software is offered for free or not is completely immaterial to the above. Poor software is poor software, regardless of cost, and is indefensible.
Since you've defended your position on "the right of crap developers to be crap because they're not paid" over several iterations, I don't expect you to see the light now. But I'm afraid you're dead wrong, and just showing yourself to lack good judgement.
Technically its for the physics community, but its free and everything you're looking for.
Try http://evo.caltech.edu./
Is written in Java Web Start so its about as cross platform as you can find. It seems to work with most video cameras and microphones. It also features the following:
-Group Chats
-Screen Sharing
-Whiteboard
-Hard line call in to call from a phone line
Its for the physics community, so try not to abuse it. It should be fine if you just use it to chat.
Science will save us. The question is, will it destroy us first?
http://evo.caltech.edu/
the evo system evolved from a system called VRVS. it has been in use for many years now supporting multiple platforms. there is much more info on the web page, but the brief summary is that evo is a java app that allows one to have multi-party video conferences. each vid stream can be adjusted for quality (network bandwidth and framerate). conversations are run in "rooms" which can be private or public.
many other features.
why won't skype work?
I use it on ubuntu for video with relatives that are on windowsXP. Works good
The new Dell Mini running Unbuntu has Dell Video Chat powered by SightSpeed and can talk to other SightSpeed and Dell Video Chat clients running under Windows or Mac (and can also connect via a browser window). SightSpeed, however, hasn't released a stand-alone Linux download yet.
I can't believe no one has mentioned it yet, but Qnext would do exactly what you're looking for. It has video chat, video-conferencing (up to 4 users), VOIP, even P2P. It works with its own network, as well as MSN/AOL/Yahoo/etc. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It even has a remote desktop function. I've been using it for about 6 months now, since I got mad at Pidgin one day and deleted it.
Qnext on Wikipedia
Qnext Website
It seems most people seem to ignore the fact that the submitter wants something AOL IM specific.. I can understand that, but haven't found anything like that.. The easy solution (ignoring the parameters like everyone else).. would be for the Windows side to use MSN Messenger, and the Linux side to use aMsn.. as MSN is a no brainer for the windows users, and aMsn supports webcams.
waiting for ad.doubleclick.net
Don't Net Meeting or Windows Messenger or any of those do SIP or H.323?
Then you can use Ekiga on Linux (or linphone) and they can use one of the Microsoft programs.
The beauty of standards. Depends how they are implemented, of course...
Source code for that version is of course available there as well, or you can check it out from the repository.
Trusted Computing FAQ | Free Dawit Isaak!
Kopete.
QGtkStyle and GTK-Qt have been around forever and they work very well. GNOME/KDE integration is not some kind of unattainable holy grail, it's a package install and a couple clicks. There are a few widgets that can't be integrated for lack of a counterpart, but those widgets are also hardly ever used so they look just as out of place in their native toolkit.
USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
Why is he ruling out skype?
I use skype just fine on my ubuntu/gnome desktop, to talk to people on macs and windows with video.
someone explain?
Machine9dotNet
I use kphone in conjunction with vic video conferencing. I can also recommend openmash for video. You need to make sure that the necessary ports are not blocked and tat you do port forwarding for incoming calls if you have a router. kphone is a real SIP/VoIP client. The SIP protocol does not look you in to a particular vendor (such as the Skype protocol does). However there are SIP providers with a gateway which only accepts certain providers.
Uhm, you're the one that cannot read. The sentence said "This rules out (...) any other app that's specific for the ICQ/AOL Network".
Kopete works fine under GNOME or whatever - the only overhead is some RAM for the extra libraries, but if you have a reasonable amount of RAM (512 MB upwards) you shouldn't notice the overhead. And it lets you easily use the full Yahoo smileys which is strangely important when migrating Windows users to Ubuntu...
Perhaps Google or one of the other companies offering IM services could step forward and contribute code to Pidgin...
It should be easier than maintaining their own client, and bring good cross platform support. Also with Pidgin's seperation between frontend client and backend library, many other clients could benefit too, like Adium.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
I use Mebeam to video chat under linux. It has a plugin for pidgin that automatically creates a video chat room with a random url and sends an IM to all people in the conversation. They just have to click on it to join the room.
You just have to have a browser with flash and you are ready to go.
To know more about the plugin: http://blog.mebeam.com/2008/07/pidgin-using-me.html
apt-get install free-beer? Who knew?
If you don't know what you're doing, you can't make mistakes.
Use a telephone!
Skype has a backdoor for authorities so people who use it are morons because after all the talk about privacy they still don't give a shit when it comes to acting and are still using it.
there's no explanation of the question.
skype works. It has video and voice chat. it's cross platform. What's his issue with it??
kopete works fine too. so you have to install some kde libs, what's the big deal?
I've never used aMSN, but from what I hear, it works fine too, and supports video chat. what's the problem with that?
I mean, OK, kopete doesn't run in windows... but the windows user can just install msn/yahoo/whatever and video-chat with you. no problem. it's still talking to the same protocols.
There are other options as well.
How did this question make it onto slashdot?
Why not just use the AIM Client - it should support all the features you need and talks to iChat flawlessly (iChat's designed to work with AIM accounts, always has done)? Seems like a simple solution - it should support video chat as well.
You know, saying "cross-platform" and "for Linux" in the same sentence is kind of... well, redundant.
This may help if you'd like a large list of options. Some of these are voice only, so watch out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_VoIP_software
If it does work, I give less than a shit about the other attributes.
And if it works correctly by sniffing your private documents, your bank passwords, and spreading spam? Malware, trojans, and worms work very well at their intended purpose for their intended users (i.e., crackers).
Pure functionality is not the only measure of software.
It runs linux and does skype - with camera - out of the box. Even the cheap variety.
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
"I really hate Java, especially the toolkit..."
;)
Stop burning your bridge.
I am the lawn!
I've had good luck with Wengophone to connect with family members abroad who are tied to Windows. It uses SIP, so you should be able to chat with people using ekiga or netmeeting too. I have connected to a cousin using wengophone on Windows, but through the ekiga network (for some reason, wengo is currently not accepting new members). But because you are free to choose your SIP phone book server, you can move around. I can report successful video/audio conferences. Furthermore, Wengophone allows you to connect to Jabber, MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ and some other networks so you can keep all your accounts tidily bundled together.
I like my dinosaurs feathery, and my pterosaurs hairy (or is it pycnofibery?)
As far as I saw, kopete doesn't have video support with the AIM protocol
Have you tried mebeam.com? I don't know much about Gnome but it is a flash based app and is awesome for video conferencing with just one person or up to 16 people. You can also integrate it with many of the mainstream IM clients.
I use Skype video chat on Ubuntu every day, with someone using it on a Mac. It works quite nicely.
Lack of eloquence does not denote lack of intelligence, though they often coincide.
Ekiga is fine and all, but he said he was looking for cross platform support for MAC users as well. This rules out Ekiga, unless there is a plain SIP application for Macs that I don't know about.
Why not use Skype? There is a Windows, a Mac, and a Linux version. I use the Linux version to videochat from my Ubuntu Linux laptop (using a Logitech Quickcam Pro for Notebooks) with my Dad on his Mac, and he uses his Mac version to talk with Windows people. Yes, it's not Open source, but it DOES work and it's FREE (as in beer) to use, as long as you aren't placing calls to POTS numbers. Even then, the charge is minimal.
Ekiga not only cannot recognize my camera (for reasons I cannot explain, especially when crappy little "Cheese" can see it!) But because it's a plain vanilla SIP application, I basically can't use it because everybody I know uses Skype, which isn't plain SIP compatible! I realize the compatibility issue is Skype's fault, But the market has spoken, and all the people I would WANT to have a video chat with use Skype. So I use it.
It sounds very much like the Submitter is in this boat. If he tries to Use Ekiga he's going to still be stuck in the same boat. He should just use Skype.
Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
Amsn...Skype...Qute...Wengophone...Ekiga...Gyachi...?
Is this the target list created by Grand Admiral Thrawn after he captures the Sluis Van shipyards?
I've got to blast off from Hulu and get to the Gentoo system! He must be stopped at all costs!
Damn that hypergravity Interdictor in the Debian sector. Damn it to hell!
I have two questions. One has anyone gotten a Microsoft VX-6000 Webcam working under W2K? And how about OpenSuSe 11.0?
It has a linux server (no client yet but WINE does run the windows client all fine, or run it in a VM) and it has an OSX and Windows binary.
Minimal time and setup required. Video, voice, and text all in one room or private conversation. You have the choice of either running your own room or just using it for direct IM video chatting.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
openwengo is what I used. I could have sworn that skype for linux supports video chat though.
See, nothing.
:)
Quack, quack.
http://gizmo5.com
should do most of what you want. cross-platform for all your devices. video, chat, pots... I don't use the video, but everything else works well.
Version 2.0 on Linux now offers video chat.
Mac OS X Has had Video Chat for about 2 years, and Windows has had it for more than 4.
Why isn't skype an option in your case? It's currently the best cross platform solution in existence that works out of the box and behind a firewall (something that can't be said about iChat and Ekiga).
Installation on all three platform it simple.
President/CEO Pacy World http://www.pacyworld.com
Simply drop the toolkit fanboi-ism and use the application that already provides what you ask for, Kopete. Being a KDE application is not relevant, it runs very well under Gnome too.
I've run Skype and iChat (OS X, obviously) side by side for some time, precisely because not everyone can access iChat. Ethan1701 may be being kind to his Mac friends trying to not ferment duplicity on them or maybe they're the sort of mom-and-pop users that don't do well with outside-Mac software.
I have this advice to offer. I have a mom-and-pop type friend that gets everything wrong on her computer. I was able to talk her through a Skype install and account setup on Windows. It's even easier on a Mac. The Skype website detects when being browsed with Safari on a Mac, downloads just what you need and the account setup wizard is 100% AOK and easy.
iChat's pretty good, but not as good as it was before they went H.264 - it's a common bitch that since then, frame rate and video quality have generally gone down and despite Apple's claims, this is true even on hardwired small LANs with best/fastest Macs.
There's a point to this - having both Skype and iChat on a Mac is A VERY GOOD THING. Some days, you get bad iChat video, so your Mac friends can switch to Skype and sometimes it's better.
iChat advantages over Skype: 1) If both users are .mac (now MobileMe) users, iChat engages in secure video conferencing. How secure I can't say but I point it out out of fairness. (Yes, lots more advantages if on top of that, everyone lives in the Leopard-fast-Core-2-Duo universe for the pedantic among us.) 2) iChat is far superior to Skype at echo control - seems to be more laptop related (co-located mic and speakers) - fixable on Skype if external speakers are used and can be angled way from the mic.
Skype advantage over iChat: 1) Both apps let you transfer a file by dropping it into the entry widget of a text chat. Skype wins hands down over iChat on this feature - it's not even close. You get a very nice pop-up almost instantly that the other person wants to send you a file, you can cancel, save as, or open. iChat on the other hand seems (actually, I'm kinda sure) to first copy the file on the sender's side, then copy the file to the receiver. For larger files, this is a real drag. For me, this feature is very important. You don't have to worry about email file size of who-got-what-when - you'll share more photos, videos and documents when it's easier to do so. 2) I've travelled a LOT internationally (was away from home 6 months last year) - and my personal experience is that Skype is far better between US and Europe - and in a lot of places in Asia, you can forget iChat altogether, period. I've also had iChat trouble while in some US hotels, but not Skype. 3) If you want to have an AUDIO conference, this is a breeze in Skype - I've had 8 people in a Skype audio conference (free) - read: all sorts of platforms and user levels - with zero problems for anyone, and I've done this often.
DISADVANTAGE OF HAVING BOTH INSTALLED ON A MAC: Sometimes one or the other won't connect reliably or won't see an iSight reliably after long sessions (days, weeks or months) of using both and having both constantly up. We (myself and my chat buddy) then shut down and restart whichever of the two apps we're using at the time; we do this together because we can't tell if the fault is on one side, the other side, or both sides of the chat. This always works. Personally, I put up with this because 1) it's infrequent and minor with a solid workaround and 2) each app is using a private protocol and 3) I'm living like I'm one of the Jetsons for free and I don't mind the workaround as much as I'd mind uninstalling Skype and losing cross-platform freedom. And you get a new route on each login - and the routes are very long. So maybe we're restarting because of a crappy route and not necessarily crappy software. All I'm saying is I hang with people that are pretty intolerant of restarting crappy software, but restarting iChat or Skype just doesn't seem to hit our radar.
VIDEO QUALITY: once in a while, something magical happens and the iChat video is astounding. Apple claims this is
Pathological kinda promises Path + Logical - but instead, you get stuck with pathetic.
Missed that because their frontpage only mentions:
"Download QuteCom RC1 installer for Windows
http://www.qutecom.com/downloads/QuteCom-2.2-setup-rc1-183f96e5f4e9.exe"
Any idea if it is hard or possible to compile on os x? Sucks that there was no prebuilt package.
With Ubuntu its as easy as apt-get install kopete. It grabs all the necessary KDE libs without installing ALL of KDE. I see rare unstability with it, but nothing that I can't live with.