patsywhitehair

have just bought a skype phone for use with my pc, oh what a boon, have ordered 2 more and sent them to my friends in UK so i can chat for free.
can anybody tell me... is this really free????????????
seems unbelievable, why doesnt everbody use them??????

big wheels

I heard it was because they need a port left open on your pc, which can be used as a back door for some nasties.

wmoore

It's not spyware. While it does make use of your computer's processing power, it's just for the purpose of other users online presence info and making calls.

I have no qualms whatsoever about using it.

kevray

I have been using skype since it was first available to download, never had a problem, but saved loads chatting to my cousin up in Gerona. Its a great piece of software, has my blessing.
Regards
Kevray

un-mundo

I agree, Skype is great. I haven't got as sophisticated as getting a Skype phone, though - I just use my laptop and a set of headphones, it gets a bit echo-y if you use the regular speakers and mike. Saved me lots of money.

kevray

Thats exactly what I do, and as I have a wireless router, I can walk around as I chat and even venture outside We are having a beautifull sunny day here in Droitwich, I have just mowed the lawn and am having a coffee and quick rest in the shade before wifey collers me for another chore

tim hortons man

Wait till you add a web cam! Was able to see how much the nephews and nieces have grown since we were home last!

MSN also offers free phone calls, and google does too but not with a web cam yet.

The only thing I'd caution against is allowing your kids to have one in the bedroom but that's for another post

big wheels

I agree skype itself is not spy/mal ware. But in order for it to work it needs ports that are normally kept closed and secure by your firewall left open, therefore leaving your pc vunerable to attack.

just google "skype and hackers" or "skype and security concerns"

Hutch

Tad alarmist I feel. Two flaws were discovered - both buffer overflow attacks of one kind or another - both fixed. Skype's far and away the most secure IM client around. It's one of the few (only?) clients in which calls, chats and other communications are encrypted end-to-end. Skype uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (good enough for the U.S. government) which, with a total of 1.1 x 1077 possible keys, is unhackable and untrackable. I'd sure as hell place more faith in Skype than leaky, bug-ridden and unsecure software like MSN Messenger or AIM.

Unexpat

Voice over IP telephony (of which Skype is one implementation) is free insofar as both ends are connected to the Internet and paying their respective Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for their connections. The infrastructure in-between that is the Internet is paid for, in the main, by corporations and governments (for now).

With Skype, if you need to receive, or make, a call where one end is a normal phone (Skype In and Sky Out), then there are gateway charges - i.e. getting the voice call converted to/from the Public Switched Telephone Network to IP so that it can be received/sent over the Internet.

Disadvantages of VoIP (also often referred to as Internet Telephony) are that quality can often suffer, since the connection is subject to the vagaries of Internet availability and performance. Lag is probably the most annoying side-affect, with two-way conversations being difficult when it is at its worst.

Unexpat

I'd have to agree with this. The Windows XP firewall will limit the incoming port to traffic destined solely for the application (the Skype program itself), so it's down to how well written the software is. It's been around long enough and has been used widely enough that it is as secure as software gets - just make sure you download it from the www.Skype.com site and nowhere else.

Hutch

Wise words.

sunnysenorita

I use VOIP. I can call to most European landlines for free. I agree the quality is sometimes not the best but I have saved a fortune so far on international calls on this system.

RobinC

[QUOTE=tim hortons man]Wait till you add a web cam! Was able to see how much the nephews and nieces have grown since we were home last!

Hi Tim.

My understanding is that Skype is not very effective for videostreaming though it is undoubtedly a good idea for phonecalls. Other products such as MyVideoWebMail are much superior in this regard and , while not free, are very cheap indeed. If you wanted more info on this there is an email address you can contact [email protected] quoting reference ROBMVT.

Where the Skype screen is comparatively small, MyVideoWebMail is substantially larger, has greater clarity and all sorts of additional features like a customisable background, a text box which can accomodate HTML links, a hits recorder, library facilities etc etc.

But as I say Skype is very handy for those phonecalls!

Hope this helps...

RobinC

Poolguy

[QUOTE=RobinC]
Try

www.voipcheap.com

After you depost 10 euro, it will just sit there and you can ring landlines all over the world.... free.

I've use more than 50 hours worth...for nothing. Thanks be to the VOIP Gods

Andrew