this is not about "popularity", this is about freedom.

skype limits your rights to communicate with people that don`t want to
use their software for any reason: for example that is not open source.

yahoo, ms, adobe..are "popular" as well, but they don`t respect your
right to not been dominated in basic aspects of life as communications.


Mateusz Slaski wrote:
> Problem with Skype is that it is very popular software, a lot of people
> use it.
> My and my wife's friends are average people using Windows and most
> popular communication application - Skype and for them using Linux and
> some open source Skype replacement is some kind of hobby or masochism
> ;) Now avoid use Skype means unfortunatelly avoid easy way to contact
> with them.
> I read little about Skype reverese engineering and I see that hacking is
> really hard - (code is written in special way to make it really
> difficult and some people tell that Skype code look like output of
> /dev/urandom).
> Maybe override linkage of libraries with new ones for modules as Jaromil
> wrote is best way if someone knows how to do this.
>
> jaromil wrote:
>> i think you are exagerating a bit here. there are ways to override
>> linkage of libraries with new ones for modules, for example using
>> ldconfig environmental variables, pre-linking or static linking.
>>
>> regarding the broader issue of VOIP:
>>
>> i recommend to start avoiding the use of skype, as it is NOT an open
>> source technology and as you see we cannot distribute it ready on our
>> CD: instead included in dyne:II are Kiax and Iaxcomm pre-configured to
>> use BLASTERISK - at the time being working well for voice, needing
>> some more development for video.
>>
>> my opinion is that development efforts should be driven in the
>> direction of substituting skype with a really free open source
>> technology, so that besides having a VOIP system people can build
>> their own local TELCO instead of being dominated by foreign
>> corporations owning the communication infrastructure.
>>
>> a good start for developers (on all levels, anyone out there wanting
>> to start a new independent telco for your community?) is the excellent
>> work people at IT46.se are doing: http://www.it46.se/voip4d/voip4d.php
>>
>> ciao
>>


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