Skype under Fedora-10

[DB]

> Message: 3 Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 15:14:11 +0100 From: Alan Cox 
> <alan at lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk> Subject: Re: Skype under Fedora-10 To: 
> "Community assistance, encouragement, and advice for using Fedora." 
> <fedora-list at redhat.com> Cc: gayleard at eircom.net Message-ID: 
> <20090607151411.08f0b866 at lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk> Content-Type: 
> text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>> > I don't understand why there is not a similar Linux system.
>> > Surely developing a VoIP protocol can't be brain surgery?
>> > And what exactly is the advantage or using SIP?
>>     
>
> Almost everything else on the planet except Skype uses SIP and they all
> interwork. You can inspect your SIP code and be sure it contains no
> suprises while you can't with Skype - see
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/25/skype_backdoor_rumours/
>
> and the stuff about China and Skype. With open source you could verify
> the situation, with Skype you can't.
>
> Skype is essentially the MS Windows of the VoIP world: proprietary and
> closed. It talks to nothing but itself, and even encrypts its own
> binaries to prevent people reverse engineering it.
Hi Alan et al.

First, thanks for the link - I tend (as a retiree) not to spend a lot of 
time following the rants and raves in the Internet about big 
software/hardware suppliers..... I'd end up neuroticer than a mad dog! - 
but it was very interesting to see how something "useful" like Skype 
is/maybe financed. I was surprised to learn from the article that S 
belongs to eBay....

Now... if one is to avoid supporting the proprietary market.... does 
anyone have a quick guide (!) to the Open Source alternatives? An answer 
to the questions like "can I hold an audio meeting with non-Linux 
friends"; "does xyz allow video communication"; "can I use the white 
board via xyz" & so on????

For once I begin to understand the strong points of Kevin & Co about the 
Dark Side of closed systems!

Thanks all

Dave.