Skype Growth Continues To Surprise
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I’ve always had a difficult time with Skype. Sure, it is a fine service if you use it frequently. However I began losing interest as I kept forgetting my needed login information. See, if you purchase Skype-In minutes but then forget your Skype login info, you are out of luck. If you do not remember what you used for the username, there is no recovering your lost info. Very convenient — NOT.
Then there is the ease-dropping routine that took place with a company eBay (Skype’s parent company) has opted to do business with in China. The joint venture, known as Tom-Skype, has a history of logging what the Chinese government might deem as “politically sensitive” natured communications. Speaking for myself, that alone made me rethink my use of anything relating to Skype. It may not affect me here in the states, but to be totally honest, if eBay is feeling this fancy free with the privacy of its users, I will spend my time and money elsewhere.
So discovering today that Skype is seeing an increased usership did nothing to excite me personally. As a user of the open source program known as Ekiga, I have begun the switch to VoIP in a much safer way than trusting Skype is not going to bundle its services with something like it did in China. Considering I am not using the app to call other Ekiga users, it has been a good fit for me. As a household that has not bothered with a landline in a very long time, Ekiga is looking to be a great supplement to my ever-growing mobile phone plan. Not a replacement mind you, but a nice backup to be sure.
Truth be told, I do not think I could go back to a landline anytime soon. You simply become used to being tethered to your mobile to the point where trying to juggle yet another phone does not seem all that practical.
What, say you? Are you a Skype user? If you are and have some thoughts on where you see Skype among other VoIP services as people continue to cut back, hit the comments and share your thoughts. Perhaps you believe it can even replace that trusty old landline?
3 Comments
Steven Leach
February 13th, 2009
at 3:02am
I am with you I use Open source tools whenever possible, and prefer the Ekiga or Gnome Meeting as it used to called. eBay has always screwed me over and over again, Paypal is nothing but trouble, so I choose to avoid these companies, unless there is no alternative.
marcel
February 16th, 2009
at 6:20am
Here in the Netherlands it’s in the news at the moment that criminals are using skype because it’s so hard to decode for the police. http://www.telegraaf.nl/digitaal/3267481/__Gebruik_Skype_frustreert_politie__.html?p=2,1
It’s dutch, sorry folks;)
marcel
February 16th, 2009
at 6:35am
translation:
The Italian police is frustrated by the use of the VOIP-program Skype. This is been used by criminals evermore because this internet telephone service is hard to tap.
A conversation via Skype is that well coded that it’s verry hard to eavesdrop. The developers of the software are not willing to hand the secrets of there encryptionsystem to the authorities. Only China has been succesful to keep an eye on the users of the service.
The use of Skype came to light when the Italian police overheard an cocaine smuggle suspect recommend the VOIP service to an accomplice. This was announced by the BBC. De The BBC puts forward that the Italian police has become more and more dependant on tapping telephones of suspects, the last few years.