<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote">On 16 May 2011 22:24, geoffrey mendelson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:geoffreymendelson@gmail.com">geoffreymendelson@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<br>
On May 16, 2011, at 1:44 PM, Amos Shapira wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
Even before that - I've tried some of these SIP-based voice programs on and off for a few years now and they *never* "just work" (let alone "work") where as Skype is just a "plug a play" and voice clear as a whistle from the first time I used it in ~2003..<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
I've used (not on Linux, but they do exist there) X-lite, Zoiper and Voix (IAX only) and they work easily.<br>
<br>
You can not connect a SIP client to another SIP client, there has to be something in the middle. If you have firewalls in the way, you also need a SIP Proxy, (aka Stunnel server). SIP uses different ports for setting up and controlling a session and the actual voice data, and most people never quite get that right. (It's not easy with 2 firewalls, NAT, etc).</blockquote>
<div><br>I know that that voice stream travels separately from the "signal" (the "Session Initiation Protocol" is about finding each other etc). But as you say - 2 firewalls and NAT is what you have to deal with 99.999% of the time and it's just not going to work if the other side is my 80 years old mum on a windows computer. On the other hand she manages with Skype just fine.<br>
<br>Until that gap is closed - I won't consider the alternatives as competitors and I think so would most of the people in this forum.<br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div class="im"><br>
<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Even more so - guys in my workplace who claim to have experience setting up SIP and none-Skype voip exchanges still have trouble setting up simple connections between our Sydney and San Francisco offices. You can claim that it's their fault but my point is that SIP (which is what all these solutions relay on) is just still too hard to use.<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<br></div>
That's barking up the wrong tree as it were. Asterisk systems with IAX trunking will do the job and can be set up easily. SIP is much more difficult.<br>
<br>
You are right though, if you already have a Skype ID and a copy installed on your system, you could call someone in another office in a few seconds. You can also do voice conference, video calls and now (if you pay for a "premium" account) video conferences. All with a minimum of effort and almost no skill.<br>
</blockquote><div><br>Right. And another point is that you can do that with iPhones/Android/Symbian phones as well (with video on iPhones to top it off - e.g. we were on the beach on NSW central coast doing video calls over 3g with Brazil from our iPhone 4 - how far are ekiga and friends from that?).<br>
<br>For now I just hope they won't cut Linux out.<br><br>Thinking about it - Skype is today's killer app, the one which can make or break a platform for many people (including me).<br><br>--Amos<br><br></div></div>
</div>