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Thread: Skype the next big thing or just another IM?

  1. #1

    Skype the next big thing or just another IM?

    Ok have been hearing alot about Skype from certain techie magasines lately and wanted to know some other peoples comments on it

    where I think it differs is that it is marketing itself as a cheap way of talking with friends anywhere - now other IM's are capable of this and have had the feature in place for sometime lets compare Skype and the current leader (IMHO) MSN

    Skype Features (from http;//www.skype.com )
    Free unlimited worldwide phone calls to other Skype users

    Superior sound quality – better than your regular phone

    Works with all firewall, NAT and routers – nothing to configure!

    Friends list shows you when your Skype friends are online and ready to talk or chat

    Super-simple and easy to use
    Your calls are encrypted “end-to-end” for superior privacy

    Based on cutting edge peer-to-peer technology developed by the creators of Kazaa and Joltid
    MSN Features (from http://messenger.msn.com/Feature/default.aspx)

    Communicate
    Instant message in real time, get face-to-face with webcam, send messages to your friends' cell phones, or get the latest news with MSN Alerts. It's easy to explore all the ways to stay in touch!

    Customize
    Create your own display pictures, backgrounds, and emoticons, or download images from around the world. Use MSN Messenger to express yourself to the world!

    Play
    Play games with a friend, share photos and files, send animated greetings on special occasions - all from one button while you instant message. Have fun together!

    Manage
    Protect your kids with parental controls, block spam, catch new email when it comes in, or set your online status. Use MSN Messenger to keep your life organized.
    ok so MSN looks more feature rich - but when do you actually use most of them? I know I dont - lol
    Except the fact that MSN is pretty customisable....but would you prefer something that is customisable or something that is ad free?

    Well I wanted to check out some of Skypes Claims so have just done a download of it

    It claims to be adware/spyware free....now call me a cynic but coming from the makers of Kazza I dont believe them - so am going to do a clean sweep of PC with S&D and Ad-aware install Skype and try scan again see if anything new turns up

    Also their claim that it can work through any firewall without any configuration. Now I dont know if they count hittin the allow button when it pops up form your firewall as configuration but it claims that MSN (and other IM's) cannot do this - my money is on Skype needing me to allow it as well - if not some kiddies would love to know how they are getting through every firewall

    well off to do the scans and install will be back with results.

    v_Ln

  2. #2
    ok just did a full scan - installed Skype and scanned again

    no new adware/spyware found so looks like that claim is true
    But as suspected - of course you have to allow it through your firewall - so to me that means that configuration is needed unlike they claimed.

    The prog itself - looks like Yahoo IM back in the day
    None of the features of many of the newer IM's and I doubt its user base will be anywhere the numbers the like sof ICQ and MSN have

    They do however say that the voice communication is better than on the phone - so perhaps that is one area they beat the other IM's though i aint had a chance to try it yet.

    So why move? I dont see any reason to - dont think its one IM I'll be bothering with

    v_Ln

  3. #3
    AO French Antique News Whore
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Posts
    2,126
    Ah Skype! Here my personal taste of this program. For a PC to PC phone conversation, it's doing a very good job. My friend said the sound quality is very good comparing to other pc to pc conversation software he try (Ventrillo). It's does take CPU power to run it and good microphone. Personally, I like the software! Hey, even my father uses it and he knows almost nothing in computer!

    Who ever see Skype like an IM are just dead wrong. It’s not an IM like MSN or ICQ. It’s a PC to PC phone conversation software. That it and it’s do the job nicely for a free software. Where those guys get the money, I wonder but they are probably over rich from Kazaa!
    -Simon \"SDK\"

  4. #4
    Regal Making Handler
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Posts
    1,668
    I only use im to speak to peeps i no already. At the end of the day those peeps that are desperate to chat to other peeps will use it because, the are prolly using Aim,Msn,Yahoo and icq already. More chat would seem to be a more fulfilled life (not)

    But then i'm what you might call introvert any way.
    What happens if a big asteroid hits the Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad. - Dave Barry

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    884
    I think it's a great program. I used to work with an online radio station (over at suprnova.org), and we used skype to do our call-ins on the radio "shows." It was very popular because, like, there could be folks in the suprnova.radio forum on IRC who wanted to say something to everyone, or who just wanted to feel a part of the show by being heard on the air, so they'd simply call in and have a nice little discussion, or just give some shouts, and it was all over and back to chatting. Again, it was largely popular among them, and skype was pretty darn failproof when we used it.

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