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Ask Slashdot: FOSS, Multiplatform Skype Replacement for PC-to-PC Video Chat?
obarthelemy writes "Skype having just been borged, now may be a good time to hedge our bets and look for a replacement. I'm *not* looking for something that interfaces with POTS, but just a simple PC-to-PC video chat tool that is very easy to configure and use, reliable, multiplatform (my family has Windows, Linux, MacOS; iOS and Android would be nice extras), and has good video/voice quality. We're almost only skyping with each other. What would you recommend?"
Clearly, you want to be using Chatroulette or Omegle.
Ekiga?
uh....skype maybe. Just because MS got a hold of it means its down the tubes just yet.
It's nice, works on flash and will work on HTML5.
http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/05/19/1956219/Linux-Friendly-Alternatives-To-Skype
There's also:
http://alternativeto.net/software/skype/?exactmatch=true
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
Fring [ http://www.fring.com/ ] looks interesting, although it only works on mobile platforms right now.
Never trust a man in a blue trench coat, Never drive a car when you're dead
http://www.jitsi.org/
Jitsi (previously SIP Communicator) is an audio/video and chat communicator that supports protocols such as SIP, XMPP/Jabber, AIM/ICQ, Windows Live, Yahoo!, Bonjour and many other useful features.
On the announcement that Microsoft had bought Skype I uninstalled Skype and installed Ekiga. I signed up for the free Ekiga account. Got it all running within a few minutes. No tinkering with configuration files. Just plug in the account information you registered at Ekiga.net. Emails are out to all my correspondents now urging them to convert to Ekiga.
My immediate family has already converted, even the Windows only users. My favorite correspondents have too.
Ekiga is installable from the Ubuntu repositories and works out of the box.
Perhaps you could start evaluating some of these?
Jabber is a good open protocol for Instant Messaging, and it has extensions for voice and video. The main idea is that it works like the email system: you can have an account on any server, and chat/talk/video with someone on a different server. There a many different clients to use the Jabber protocol, just like there are many different mail clients. And all of them are supposed to interact nicely with each other.
My favorite client is telepathy which support the voice and video features (but getting the right codec is somewhat painfull), and has good NAT traversal capabilities. It runs on Linux, and on my N900.
If you're looking for something more Windows-friendly, you can use the Google Talk plugin: Google Talk is just a Jabber server, and you can use it with any other Jabber server, and any client. The plugin is available for Windows and Linux (and there is probably something for Android).
Come on, seriously? Skype was a non-open source program before, which met all your needs, and did a great job. Microsoft is likely going to invest heavily in it, and integrate it into Windows 8, XBox360, and a lot of other things, making it more useful to you as more people will be using it.
Microsoft is no angel, but they aren't the devil either.
There's a whole assortment of options, but I've had good luck with both google talk and QQ. Granted, QQ is mostly used by Chinese, but it works well in the western world and is available (english version) for windows, macos, linux and EVERY mobile phone ever made that supports any kind of data service.
I hear Skype does everything you want. Perhaps you are dissastisfied with it because your microphone only recognizes oral communication and is unable to understand when you talk out your ass.
Google voice and video chat is pretty solid and multiplatform option. You need to keep a gmail or igoogle tab open in the browser (with the plugin installed) to be online, but other than that it's pretty decent. Android support is currently in 2.3.4 (the Nexus S only yet officially IIRC) but it is going to be rolled out to older versions shortly. It's not yet on iOS but its rumoured to be in the works.
Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone commits wholesale galactic genocide.
Not sure about android, but on pc and mac it does video..
---- Booth was a patriot ----
This is the perfect excuse to stop talking to your family.
Google Talk is not FOSS. look at the title.
NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
Dear story submitter/writer and /. editors:
You don't 'edge' bets, you Hedge bets. FYI.
"...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can." ~ Mark Twain
Skype outpaces all other alternatives by far, particularly with regards to satisfying the "very easy to configure and use, reliable, multiplatform and has good video/voice quality" requirements. There's a reason so many people use it, and there's a reason Linux users still installed Skype when they were thrown scraps in terms of support and updates.
Keep using Skype until such time that it NO LONGER WORKS (which I suspect will be for a very long time). Just because Microsoft owns it now doesn't mean it's dead. If it finally falls over in something like Linux, then you can move onto something such as Ekiga or whatever else has been developed, but there's simply nothing else in the consumer world that compares.
Heh... "Skype having just been borged". You could at least explain how Skype no longer works for you instead of letting emotions cloud logic.
You're suggesting the man should switch from Newly-Borg'd to S.P.E.C.T.R.E.-from-Birth?
Its free. Not open source, but its as free as skype was, and not "borged". A proper FOSS alternative (at least with any form of market penetration, so you know... you can actually talk to other users) doesn't really exist.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
What used to be SIP Communicator, now Jitsi (because they added many protocols besides SIP). I can't believe I'm having to recommend this on /. so often. It has XMPP video chat and desktop sharing, and has all the other common protocols as well as SIP. It's in rapid development at this point, but has been stable for me since began using it a couple of weeks ago.
The state of things in integrated communications is sad indeed with so few alternatives and fragmentation.
Also... google talk is Jabber. Any open source jabber client will work. So actually, it kinda IS open-source.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
you don't split your sentances across the topic
---
and the message body. It's obnoxious.
well they can't really make it much worse. lack of platform availability for MALWARE is a feature.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
Like HURD?
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
Market penetration is pretty irrelevant -- the submitter mentioned that they "only skype each other". If SIP is easy enough, it's also more than good enough.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Is the voice/video component implemented well enough anywhere else such that I can expect to teleconference with a gtalk user from an entirely open source client?
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Google voice and video chat is just Jabber. It's an open protocol and you can communicate between users on different servers and using different softwares.
So you can use a FOSS client (e.g. telepathy) and run your own server, and advise your technologically-challenged friends to use the user-friendly Google client. Everybody wins!
It honestly acts more like Malware than anything, so it'll be interesting to see how Microsoft deals with it since it sells ISA (and now Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010) this seems like the two are going to be at loggerheads.
MS will probably be pushing UPnP.
The standard VOIP is available on Linux, Mac and windows and there is a good selection of clients. I have never understood why people used the bastardised version (Skype) when the standard version is just as good. M$ have already started to ruin Skype and will continue to flush it down the toilet so that they can push MSN on people but, for voice calls VOIP is great, and for chat there are more options that I could list here.
I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
Yes. Empathy
I just finished trying out gyache/gyachi (Yahoo! Voice and Video chat, open source) and it doesn't work nearly as well. Also, it just runs the proprietary codecs using the relevant wine source code, so it's not truly open source.
We're almost only skyping with each other. What would you recommend ?
The only chat client that makes sense is the client used by those you want to chat with. Skype works so well for so many, you simply can't expect them to switch.
oh wait... that was bought by MS as well (integrated into xbox360 VOIP i believe?)
not available is most countries either
The trick here is not waiting until they pull the plug, as most expect, before finding an alternative. If you want to wait until the sh*t hits the fan to see if it will hit the fan after it's been thrown, that's your choice.
And, no, we're not dealing with a self fulfilling prophecy here but some years of experience watching Microsoft's behaviour and business tactics.
... it's a pain to block [skype]on the firewall ...
It honestly acts more like Malware than anything, so it'll be interesting to see how Microsoft deals with it since it sells ISA (and now Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010) this seems like the two are going to be at loggerheads.
Maybe Microsoft bought Skype so they could figure out how to block it with their security products and/or kill it so it's no longer an issue? B-)
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Apparently you missed the announcement where they said they would be dropping a platform.
You can't just wait until the last possible minute on this sort of thing. Stuff like this doesn't just pop out of the ether over night.
In a working free market, this should not even be an issue. There should be 2 other obvious alternatives already in place.
However, software usually doesn't work by free market commodity rules. That's why you have a lot of "whining".
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
gtalk (as google's official client) is not, but the protocols are open. IM uses jabber protocol, video and audio uses SIP IIRC. i know pidgin and koppete in linux supports video on google talk.
What ? Me, worry ?
Is Cu-SeeMe still around?
That little piece of software was capable of group video calls like 16 years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CU-SeeMe
As tech journalist and podcaster Skype has been the backbone of the industry for doing remote interviews. But to record it is a hack at best. Who ever makes a FOSS Video / Audio HD multiple guest video confrence software please allow for individual recording of the streams of audio and video. Skype technically could have done this but muxxed the audio from multiple guests together, the video then could be layered as different video layers using plugins on the mac side like Call Recorder. But If anything allowing for people to record multiple video sources would be key. I was originally planning a sit down with reps from TWiT, Revision3, AOL, PBS, & PixelCorps to have a sit down with Skype engineers to hopefully address these issues but the meeting was canceled a month before the announcement of the purchase from Microsoft. I understand why now. Some of the basic wishes from everyone was that skype might: 1) Split Video and Audio channels to make them accessible to 3rd party developers. 2) Remote starts and built-in recording... so everyone can double end record for higher quality 3) Higher Quality Video, in the 720p and 1080p range 4.) Dedicated connection support as to not have random changes in in audio / video quality 5.) Output of video channels for software video switchers and streamers like Telestreams Wirecast Pro
Google Talk is not better than Skype. Skype's audio and video quality are both superior in my experience. I'm going to miss it. Ah well.
I have used google talk many times. The quality is better than Skype. BTW anyone knows how to completely close your account with Skype?
How does the security of Google Talk compare to Skype? Are the encryption protocols open? (I realize Skype's aren't really, but I'm curious to know how secure Google Talk is.)
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
Actually, calling uses XMPP Jingle, with RTP being used as the transport, similar to SIP.
Microsoft's existing Voice over IP product, Lync (and OCS before it) both work by using voice over port 443. By default, they will try to use encrypted UDP. But if UDP is blocked, it will fall back to encrypted TCP over 443. Skype works similarly and won't pose any new problems for MS that they haven't already addressed with Lync and OCS.
I created this account just so I could comment on this story
I highly recommend Jitsi as a Skype replacement. Check out http://www.jitsi.org./ It is also worthwhile to check out http://www.gnutelephony.org./ Both these sites have some good info on free, open source Skype replacement plans.
There was an article titled "Linux-Friendly Alternatives To Skype" less than a week ago! What's the point in repeating the discussion?
http://www.google.com/chat/video
angel'o'sphere
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
I thought Google Talk was available everywhere. Maybe you're thinking of Google Voice?
You might want to give zoiper a try, with versions for windows, mac, solaris, linux, windows mobile and iphone (currently pending apple approval). It's stable, fast, multiprotocol and supports video. (Currently only on windows, but we will be rolling it out to some other os'es as well in the near future) Disclaimer: I am involved in the zoiper development. You can find it on http://www.zoiper.com/
Everyone uses random codecs and styles instead of H323. this creates incompatibilities to help keep the separate walled gardens exclusive.
If everyone used H323 Standards then this would not be an issue. Hell you would be able to call a Tandberg video conferencing unit. Thre is no real useable open source cross platform video conferencing "chat" application that works worth a damn. I have tried for years to go OSS for my gaming group and we settled on google video or Skype.
Hopefully the Skype fiasco will cause some Foss developers to stop adding stupid features or GUI redesigns and make the applications do reliable video calls.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
My brother is out of the country. He prefers skype but his internet connection sucks. Rarely were we able to have a complete conversation and when we were, we constantly had to stop, start, and restate what was just said before the packet loss storm hit. I finally got him to try mumble. Despite using twice the bandwidth, providing vastly superior voice quality, thanks to the ability to force TCP and tweak additional network settings, we're now always able to have a complete conversation without any interruptions. And even though its using TCP, very rarely do we suffer the Max Headroom effect.
While mumble doesn't allow for video, skype isn't even competitive with mumble for voice services. And if we really needed to, we could easily use less bandwidth than skype for comparable voice quality. The fact mumble provides for so many network and audio tweaks makes it all the better.
Seriously, aside from PBX interchange, who gives a shit about skype in the first place. Its not like there are not tons of other solutions - almost all of which are superior.
Hell, last time I shopped phone minutes, google talk's rates were HALF that of skype's. Seriously, fuck skype!
Already have this for Voice. there are 90,000 Voip systems and applications that work great. Video calls is what is needed, a dedicated written for video calling from the ground up not a feature duck-taped on top of another application.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
"Just two short weeks after assuring us Skype was safe in their hands, Microsoft seems intent on cutting its link with Linux .. Digium .. can no longer sell their Asterisk-Skype interaction module after July 26. That means it will become impossible for this VoIP PBX to connect to Skype". link
Can we get a Slashdot survey on this? Favorite alternative Skype software?
I would like to ensure my communications are private and stay that way. Not later dredged up, quoted out of context or leaked to competitors. Or in a more general way mined for someone else's use in profiling groups to manipulate in future advertising campaigns. If Google, Microsoft, etc are involved you can bet they will vigorously support only virtual privacy. Anyone know of "Skype like" apps that support privacy in communications for the masses? (ie not just for the tin foil hat people)
If you are so sure that Google or Microsoft would so such a thing, why can you be equally sure that Skype *wouldn't* have done something similar (say, if they'd not been bought out and had found themselves needing to make a quick buck a little way down the line)?
It exists now and it's called Facetime. Now we just need apple to support Linux and Windows or open up the protocol. It is possible that this could happen.
...but its as free as skype was, and not "borged".
It's a different borg, but the principle remains the same, and we're probably stuck with it for the time being.
If I had the resources (time and money) to start an open-source equivalent to Skype, I would probably make a number of people very happy, since Skype has hit a really good balance with its integrated voice/video/IM chat (especially the latter in my case).
Sure, there are VOIP carriers who sell SIP calls to POTS phones a little cheaper, but the overall experience with Skype is exactly what I want. Plain old voice calls, while useful (and incidentally, I personally am not keen on video calls), are only part of the story these days.
I'm going to miss it. Ah well.
Just to keep things in perspective, it's not gone yet. And let's face it, Microsoft could pretty nearly freeze development for Skype on all platforms and still (for a while at least) maintain Skype's established userbase.
I've used Skype on a (nominally) 56K dialup line and been able to hold a perfectly intelligible (voice-only) conversation. The worst experience I've had was attempting to use it via a satellite internet connection in rural Western Australia a few years ago, where the downstream side was fine, but the upstream latency was so poor that conversations became very disjointed.
In the not-too-distant future, I will be moving to a much more out-of-the-way spot in Tasmania, and my best internet access options will probably include satellite. I'm hoping that there are options available to improve that upstream lag.
Check out mumble. It shouldn't be a problem. The only down side of using mumble is its not as user friendly as skype and is more technie in nature.
Their privacy statement says they will. You voluntarially give up privacy to use Google and Microsoft apps.
Its free. Not open source, but its as free as skype was, and not "borged".
At this point in time, I feel more worried about Google than Microsoft, regardless of how many cool free software products Google release,
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
I'm going to miss it. Ah well.
Just to keep things in perspective, it's not gone yet. And let's face it, Microsoft could pretty nearly freeze development for Skype on all platforms and still (for a while at least) maintain Skype's established userbase.
No, I think GP's attitude is the same as the story's poster, i.e. now it is owned by Microsoft it has become anathema to them.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
I have the opposite experience conferencing with a business partner in Europe. Skype works fine if we do audio only, but if we throw in video it becomes unreliable. With Google Talk the video is smoother, but unfortunately we had to abandon it for a while b/c some malware interfered with his audio. I guess it ended up being a good thing, poor guy would have never guessed his computer was infected otherwise. Silly Windows users.
"From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
Your'e right, I got mixed up. Thanks