Date: Sun, 22 May 2011 14:19:02 -0400 From: Jerry <jerry@seibercom.net> To: FreeBSD <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Ekiga && FreeBSD (for a future without Skype) Message-ID: <20110522141902.4aff6b9f@scorpio> In-Reply-To: <20110522171033.GA8442@tinyCurrent> References: <20110522171033.GA8442@tinyCurrent>
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On Sun, 22 May 2011 19:10:33 +0200 Matthias Apitz <guru@unixarea.de> articulated: > Now, as M$ bought Skype, we should stop wining for a native Skype > client for FreeBSD and should prepare us for the time when M$ will > "integrate" Skype into its desktop and stop deliver binaries for > Linux; Honestly, where do you get this garbage from. This is just another prime example of FUD rearing its ugly head. Microsoft bought Skype with the stated purpose of going toe to toe with Apple in the consumer market and leapfrog competitors by incorporating the service into its business software. Free Skype-style communications services aimed at consumers have effectively been banned in some Middle East countries such as the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Some countries are reluctant to allow free mobile phone voice calling over the internet because it could endanger the huge long-term investment countries such as the UAE have made in their telecommunications infrastructure. However, analysts believe it is in the business rather than the consumer space where the Skype acquisition may first start to pay off. Allowing Microsoft to introduce Skype-style video conferencing into its business offering could be the start of a more general acceptance of free and low-cost internet voice and video conferencing. Limiting or eliminating operating systems other than Microsoft's own platforms would be counter productive and could lead to a decreased monetary model. Obviously, that is something that Microsoft does not intentionally do. It didn't pay $8.5 billion just to jettison users. Personally, I am expecting the overall quality of the product to improve. I would not expect them to craft a specific model just for FreeBSD though. Then again, one doesn't exist now either. However, I would fully expect them to maintain and improve on a model tailored for Linux. It is in their best interest. -- Jerry jerry+fbsd@seibercom.net ''~`` ( o o ) +------------------.oooO--(_)--Oooo.------------------+ | | | .oooO | | ( ) Oooo. | +---------------------\ (----( )--------------------+ \_) ) / (_/
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