Given the recent dealings between Skype and Microsoft (here), one can guess that Linux support will be dropped. It wasn't amazing, but it ran. Moreover, security of transmitted data, in my own opinion, will be more questionable as of this acquisition.

What are the alternatives? If there are no full solutions - I propose the unification of several partial solutions into a merged FOSS project.

I recommend a secure chat/video client with SIP capabilities and native ports for Linux Console, X, and FreeDos.

Hello,

I use brosix - http://www.brosix.com/

Please note though.... Using ASAP and such will most likely get you no replies. Please refrain from doing so, and I highly recommend that you edit your subject line and remove it. It is also considered rude......

Cheers,

Josh

1 members found this post helpful.

Brosix looks proprietary. I am also interested in who would want to help program/merge.

The caps were because it was an acronym.

I doubt the sky is falling or would that be the skype is falling?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari..._VoIP_software

Good luck with the freedos part.

thanks. I figure that DosBox/FreeDOS runs on just about everything so no one would be left out.
I'm reading through the list now. I might be wrong, but it seems the SIP-PSTN termination would be the hardest to set up.

qutecom
Description: SIP-based software telephone with video and chat features
QuteCom is a Voice-over-IP application based on standard protocols like SIP
and RTP. It enables voice, video and text chat between two clients. Features
include a contact list with multi-protocol presence and status, call history
and NAT traversal capability.
.
QuteCom is the new name of the WengoPhone project, after it was dropped by
Wengo and taken on by MBDsys.
Homepage: http://www.qutecom.org/

Ekiga
Description: H.323 and SIP compatible VoIP client
H.323 and SIP compatible videoconferencing and VoIP/IP-Telephony application
that allows you to make audio and video calls to remote users with H.323
hardware or software (such as Microsoft Netmeeting) as well as SIP endpoints.
.
It supports all modern videoconferencing features, such as contact roster,
presence status, high-quality audio and video codecs, various video
resolutions, registering to an LDAP directory, gatekeeper support,
making multi-user conference calls using an external MCU, using modern
Quicknet telephony cards, and making PC-To-Phone calls.
Homepage: http://www.ekiga.org

3 members found this post helpful.

I agree with craigevil, these are the two I recommend. I really like qutecom, it works for all SIP providers that I've tried. Here are some free SIP providers:
http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/2009/01...revisited.html
Of course, ekiga has its own SIP provider.

2 members found this post helpful.

Compatibility with a major voice chat protocol would really help with take-up, by giving an immediate incentive for using it. Otherwise it's going to be really hard to get a critical mass of users.

Google Talk might be doable - guessing so based on Google's support for open protocols in many things.

(A way to connect with Skype and YM would be nice, but they're bound to make it as hard as they can, and it would need frequent updates.)

Sorry I don't have the ability to help with coding, but a free and usable Skype alternative would be a fantastic tool. Good luck!

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The Free Software Foundation is dealing with the problem and are building a Free VoIP: gnutelephony.org

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The thing about Skype, though, is that it's popular. Of course, you can use something else, but if your contacts only want to use Skype, then you don't have much choice.

Any link to the source of this info, because that site doesn't work.

It does if you put "www." at the beginning .

So then it is:
http://www.gnutelephony.org/index.php/GNU_Telephony

Not a very good wiki. I suppose it is not ready yet.

Yeah sorry, that was my first post and I was not authorised to post links to external sites...
Maybe I can post now a link to fsf too: http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priorit...ypereplacement

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks for the updates! I'll read up on that project.