(I read about this recently on The Register.)
Skype is a P2P-network-based IM and voice telephony network, from the creators of Kazaa and the FaskTrack network. It could potentially allow circumventing the normal telco network, to allow making phone calls worldwide for free! It has some neat features too, like NAT compatibility, and end-to-end encryption (like WASTE).
What makes this even hotter, is the theoretical possiblity, that combined with the "ENUM" project, to link URLs with telco POTS numbers, that you could even route calls to someone's phone number, if they also had broadband, and eseentially use the internet's IP network as the long-haul voice carrier, and then use a voice-capable modem as the "last mile" bridge onto the telco POTS network. This is mostly tech-geek speculation on my part, but it should be possible. Talk about breaking down boundries! I have no doubt that they might add fax capabilities too, eventually. They mention future pay-for services too.
Right now, it is in beta, and is apparently free to download and use.
The biggest question on my mind is if there is any of the usual Kazaa-style spyware. I don't know, since it claims to be "ad-free" on their page, and while they wrote Kazaa, they do not currently own or market it, some other company does (Sharman Networks).
But eventually, if it becomes popular (and I hope that it will), it could completely eclipse all other IM clients out there. Slowly but surely, these guys are building their own P2P empire. This really is, IMHO, The Next Big Thing, and a natural evolution of FastTrack technologies. Imagine a global single IRC network, where the "servers" are created/assigned dynamically, on the fly. I'm guessing that Skype works somewhat like that.
(2003-09-08 09:09am EST)
Edit: POSSIBLE WARNING - The installer EULA contains this line: "(c) THE SKYPE SOFTWARE IS UTILIZED AND DISTRIBUTED BY THIRD PARTIES WHICH ARE UNRELATED TO SKYPER. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT INSTALLATION OF THE SKYPE SOFTWARE WILL ALLOW THIRD PARTIES WHO ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH SKYPER THE ABILITY TO ACCESS YOUR COMPUTER ("OUTSIDE PARTIES"). YOU AGREE THAT SKYPER WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE, CLAIM OR LOSS OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES AS STATED IN PARAGRAPH 9(a) ABOVE, RESULTING FROM ANY ACTIONS OR OMISSIONS OF THE OUTSIDE PARTIES."
I'm not sure entirely what this is supposed to mean. The Skype web page claims that this software contains "no ads or spyware". The clause above seems to refer to when/if the Skype client software is bundled along with 3rd-party software.
Install at YOUR OWN RISK..
Skype is a P2P-network-based IM and voice telephony network, from the creators of Kazaa and the FaskTrack network. It could potentially allow circumventing the normal telco network, to allow making phone calls worldwide for free! It has some neat features too, like NAT compatibility, and end-to-end encryption (like WASTE).
What makes this even hotter, is the theoretical possiblity, that combined with the "ENUM" project, to link URLs with telco POTS numbers, that you could even route calls to someone's phone number, if they also had broadband, and eseentially use the internet's IP network as the long-haul voice carrier, and then use a voice-capable modem as the "last mile" bridge onto the telco POTS network. This is mostly tech-geek speculation on my part, but it should be possible. Talk about breaking down boundries! I have no doubt that they might add fax capabilities too, eventually. They mention future pay-for services too.
Right now, it is in beta, and is apparently free to download and use.
The biggest question on my mind is if there is any of the usual Kazaa-style spyware. I don't know, since it claims to be "ad-free" on their page, and while they wrote Kazaa, they do not currently own or market it, some other company does (Sharman Networks).
But eventually, if it becomes popular (and I hope that it will), it could completely eclipse all other IM clients out there. Slowly but surely, these guys are building their own P2P empire. This really is, IMHO, The Next Big Thing, and a natural evolution of FastTrack technologies. Imagine a global single IRC network, where the "servers" are created/assigned dynamically, on the fly. I'm guessing that Skype works somewhat like that.
(2003-09-08 09:09am EST)
Edit: POSSIBLE WARNING - The installer EULA contains this line: "(c) THE SKYPE SOFTWARE IS UTILIZED AND DISTRIBUTED BY THIRD PARTIES WHICH ARE UNRELATED TO SKYPER. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT INSTALLATION OF THE SKYPE SOFTWARE WILL ALLOW THIRD PARTIES WHO ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH SKYPER THE ABILITY TO ACCESS YOUR COMPUTER ("OUTSIDE PARTIES"). YOU AGREE THAT SKYPER WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE, CLAIM OR LOSS OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES AS STATED IN PARAGRAPH 9(a) ABOVE, RESULTING FROM ANY ACTIONS OR OMISSIONS OF THE OUTSIDE PARTIES."
I'm not sure entirely what this is supposed to mean. The Skype web page claims that this software contains "no ads or spyware". The clause above seems to refer to when/if the Skype client software is bundled along with 3rd-party software.
Install at YOUR OWN RISK..