[linux-audio-user] fighting skype ...

[Rob]

On Friday 18 March 2005 16:59, Eric Dantan Rzewnicki wrote:
> That is my impression as well. But, how to convince management that
> the current most popular solution is not the best thing for the
> organization to roll out just because it's what has made the first
> big splash in the general population ....

Well, you could take the high road....

"Skype might be popular, but it's not a standard and it's not free 
software.  Sure, you don't have to pay for it now, but it could be 
they'll start putting more and more obtrusive ads in it or charging 
per seat or per minute for business users.  We would have no control 
over any of that."

Or you could take the FUD road.

"Skype?  Didn't you know it's from the guys who wrote Kazaa?  I sure 
hope you're putting more money in the budget for virus cleaning and 
intrusion recovery.  Not to mention angry users."

> I'm afraid of management getting caught up in hype, offering a
> service to users and down the road realizing that they are locked
> into a proprietary protocol. I just did some googling and realize
> my fears are founded. The skype protocol is entirely closed as far
> as I can tell.

I'm sure it'll eventually be broken if it becomes a de facto standard 
(c.f. iTunes), but by then they may have been bought by someone 
bigger or gotten rich enough to try to suppress open implementations 
of their protocol via patents or whatever.

> Basically what is wanted is a way for people (most of whom probably
> don't run linux or care at all about Free Software) who aren't able
> to get through during our call-in shows to leave messages without
> paying the toll free (for the caller) charges of using the PSTN.
> Skype offers a viable option for that, _now_. While I can't help
> feeling that it is a slippery slope that will come back to bite the
> organization in the future ... I also cannot offer a Free
> alternative with the same ease of use and practically non-existant
> barrier to entry for the potential callers.

Have you tried PhoneGaim under windows?  I haven't, but I have 
converted dozens of AIM and Yahoo users to Gaim under Windows, with 
only one or two people switching back (because of the lack of webcam 
support.)  Either way you're gonna have to do tech support for 
whatever you tell your people to use.  If it does come down to "we're 
using skype, and that's that", why not support both?

Rob