| JimiJimi |
10-18-2006 09:19 AM |
Nice service.
Skype (IPA pronunciation: [skɑɪp], i.e. "skype", rhymes with type) is a proprietary peer-to-peer Internet telephony (VoIP) network founded by the entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, also founders of the file sharing application Kazaa. It competes against existing open VoIP protocols such as SIP, IAX, and H.323. The Skype Group, acquired by eBay in October 2005, is headquartered in Luxembourg, with offices in London and Tallinn. It has experienced rapid growth in both popular usage and software development since launch, both of its free and its paid services. The Skype communications system is notable for its broad range of features, including free voice and video conferencing, and its ability to use peer to peer (decentralized) technology to overcome common firewall and NAT problems.
The use of end-user bandwidth in the form of supernodes, the use of closed source software in general, the use of closed source software for encryption of network traffic in particular as well as security of the software, have caused concern among open source advocates. Independent analyses of the software have addressed the latter to some degree.
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