[LINK] Alternatives to Skype

[Kim Holburn]

The problem with alternatives to skype is that skype has a way of getting through firewalls by using random external servers/machines.    The main problem faced by any P2P (in the classical sense) is with domestic NAT routers.  VOIP standards are particularly broken, we've discussed this before on link.  If you can get timely voice using TCP in skype you don't need the complexity of four or five UDP streams, not to mention IP addresses in the packet data.

The NAT issue might be fixable using IPv6 but we don't seem to have IPv6 to the home in general for various reasons.  Having live IPv6 endpoint addresses on the internet may mean some loss of privacy, which can be important for dissidents to nasty regimes.  That is probably surmountable but doesn't seem to have been addressed by the people leading the IPv6 push. 


On 2013/Feb/16, at 10:22 AM, Dr Bob Jansen wrote:

> Surely the problem with alternatives is that Skype has so a large user 
> base, unless the replacement supports calling Skype users, you are 
> really limiting yourself. What we need is an agreed, supported and 
> implemented international standard for audio/video communication so that 
> one can call whomever one pleases irrespective of their client app. 
> Software developers can then add whatever functionality above and beyond 
> that to their client and so gain market share, etc.
> 
> bobj
> 
> On 16/02/13 4:55 AM, Rick Welykochy wrote:
>> Linkers,
>> 
>> It is time for an open source and open policy talk system
>> on the Internet. I am keeping my eye out for alternatives to
>> Skype and Google Talk.
>> 
>> http://tinyurl.com/a7db9cd
>> 
>> The above article explains how since Skype moved from European hands
>> to the USA under Mickeysoft, security and privacy on the chat
>> system are unknown and possibly now controlled by the US gummint.
>> 
>> If you search for "skype alternatives" on the web, you will come
>> up with many choices.
>> 
>> 
>> cheers
>> rickw
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
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> Dr Bob Jansen
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-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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