[wplug] RE: alternate phone service (slightly related to topic as there is a Linux client ; -)

[Rob Knapp]

On Tue, 2005-12-27 at 12:09 -0500, Daryl Sawders wrote:
> Sorry but I wasn't paying a lot of attention when someone was asking about
> Vonage but I asked a Telecomm friend of mine to comment and he referred me
> to SKYPE 
> 

As I mentioned in my previous post (about bluetooth), I used Skype
exclusively for my telecommuting position. Both SkypeOUT which Daryl
described and SkypeIn which allows for incoming calls.

Incoming calls are charged at a flat rate for a period of 3 months to a
year and outgoing are charged about 1cent per minute.  (I don't think
they charge for seperately for international calls.

A humbling experience since I helped design (I was one of 2 lead
analysts) a video/voice over IP solution that was seen (by our
higherups) as being in competition with skype.  (Company was called
Gatelinx, you may have heard of them on /. for their successor company's
(GTX Global) *ahem* press release about developing "true" AI.)  We had
some advantages over skype...like DVD quality video, plugin interface
for new features and UIs...etc.   However, skype was able to market
their solution and we were not....sigh.  (We also had python throughout
the system to make it highly flexible and embeddable....)

At anyrate if your needs meets skypes requirements, it's a good match.
(Skypes requirements being: Cons: 1) A sucky linux client, 2) per minute
charge to call a land line, 3) proprietary is ok.  Pros: Excellent audio
quality (they used the same codecs we did,btw), lots and lots of users,
works through firewalls.


> It seems you can set up a "local" number and then use the InterNET to dial.
> It does cost to receive land line calls but not InterNET.
> 
> This would solve the issue of long distance charges and also give an option
> for folks that don't have a PC.
> 
> Take a look.  Your mileage will vary...  
> 
>    - Daryl -
> 
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