[Discuss] Skype Replacement

[tmetro-blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

Mark Woodward wrote:
> ...is there a practical replacement for Skype... 

SIP for the protocol and Jitsi for the client have already been mentioned.

SIP is far more open than Skype. If you set up the correct DNS entries,
you can even have people use your email address as your SIP "phone number."

SIP generally requires a server in the cloud to connect up the two
parties, and thus isn't quite as distributed as Skype, but you can run
your own server (such as Asterisk).

I'm not sure what the SIP answer is for encryption, which Skype
supposedly provides. (Though see prior mention that variable bitrate
voice encoding can be largely decoded. Same principle would apply to
using a VBR codec with SIP sent through a VPN tunnel.)

I listened to the same podcast on Jitsi that was mentioned, and I have
it installed, but it is largely a multi-protocol IM client plus a SIP
softphone. I already have both of those, so I haven't been motivated to
try it out further. Jitsi also provides desktop sharing (as does Skype)
- I believe via VNC, or at least the same underlying protocols.

Lately I've been using the Twinkle SIP softphone in conjunction with a
free VoIP account from Callcentric. Seems to work well. (Twinkle isn't
very flashy, but it has a handy feature where it can launch a script
(CGI-like) on various events, such as an incoming call. I have a talking
caller-ID rigged up to it.)

Also, because SIP is open, you can easily find hardware, such as phones
and analog telephone adapters (ATAs) that speak the protocol. One
interesting ATA is OBi110 (http://obihai.com/), which I've heard from a
few people works well.

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/