Skype...

[Jezza]

... Good thing or a bad thing.

I have never had a need for Skype but my relatives in Canada have moved out, right out into the deepest, darkest areas and have chosen Skype as their communication medium of choice.

It promises voice comms via the web and then the chance to buy Skype credits for calls to telephone.

Mrs J likes the idea of free as most of us do but I am just checking whether there are any hidden costs with VOIP communication especially across continent services, are there problems with degradation of bandwidth or anything else I need to know.

Your thoughts.

[HansV]

Using Skype between computers is free (no hidden costs), and quality is variable, but generally good to excellent.

[Jezza]

Brilliant
I am on an 8 meg line at present... I am happy with audio but I know Mrs J will want visual. Can I assume that it is the equivalent of a, say. You Tube download stream I have terrible visions of some jerky non-lip synched images.

[HansV]

Audio should be fine. Video depends on the size of course, but you should expect some jerkiness.

[JoeP]

I can generally echo Hans opinion.

The wife gets good to excellent audio. Fair to good video with a little jerkiness.

Joe

[johbot]

But there is a data cost. Yes you are not paying for the calls, but the resulting data transfers form part of your internet usage. Or are you, unike most Australians, not on a data restricted access plan?

[HansV]

I don't know about the UK, but here in The Netherlands, most or all ISPs provide unlimited access.

[johbot]

We're still dreaming of that, Hans. Although, to be fair, some Australians can get that sort of access as well - just not out here where I am officially classed as 'remote' (geographically, I mean). I can see the houses where the broadband ends, but they are on a different phone exchange.

[Leif]

I have used Skype and agree with most of the comments above. Although it does what it says on the tin and is excellent value for money, my experience of using it at a business level left a lot to be desired. (When you are talking to someone who does not speak English fluently, the loss of clarity can be critical.)

Annoyances I found:

• USB handsets are a pain, with the curly cable being heavier than average, they are uncomfortable to use.
• If Skype is started and a call comes in, and you do not have your handset plugged in, plugging it in does not automatically select it as the 'audio device' - you have to do that manually. (You may even have to restart Skype for it to 'take')
• If your handset is plugged in and selected, your default audio output becomes the handset, so audio events such as an incoming call ring, sound on a YouTube video, the delightful Windows 'StartUp' theme, ALL come from the handset speaker.
• From a nice simple program, Skype turned into a heavily bloated application with just too many frills for my liking.
• Despite setting every privacy option I could find, I never found a way to block spurious 'invitations' from the likes of Sexy Sadie and Sumptuous Suzie (and no, they were not offering to buy me a drink in a London hotel bar ) It was these - up to 3 or 4 a day - that made me stop using it.

Many of these 'issues' may now be resolved or may not be a problem for you - it has certainly got to be worth giving it a go

[stuck]

[*]Despite setting every privacy option I could find, I never found a way to block spurious 'invitations' from the likes of Sexy Sadie and Sumptuous Suzie

Hmm, wasn't aware of this sort of potential problem but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Can anyone else comment on the prevalence of such spam on Skype? Like Jezza I'd like to try it out for intercontinental comms. but I don't relish the prospect on my children coming across these type of 'invitations'.

Ken

[Leif]

...I don't relish the prospect on my children coming across these type of 'invitations'.

The invitations themselves are (were) quite innocuous - from memory it was a standard

"Fiesty Fiona wants to add you to their contacts. Accept? Decline? Report as Abuse?"

type thing. If you can get them to always reject the invitation, they should be relatively safe...

[John Gray]

Hmm, wasn't aware of this sort of potential problem but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Can anyone else comment on the prevalence of such spam on Skype? Like Jezza I'd like to try it out for intercontinental comms. but I don't relish the prospect on my children coming across these type of 'invitations'.

I've never had anything like that, but then again I Skype only very occasionally. I am pretty-well invisible in their directory, because I have omitted every name/location/etc option that I could get away with... Those I Skype have been told my Skype name. That suffices.

PS I moved to Skype from Windows Live Messenger, in which I found too many infuriations which didn't seem to be being fixed. Skype has been pretty good, even when going 1/3 of the way round the world.

[Leif]

I am pretty-well invisible in their directory....

Interesting. I would have expected the pendant in you to say you are either invisible or not invisible

My understanding is that if you have a Skype account, your Skype log-in name will be listed. Can you find yourself if you search for contacts?

I think the fact that your details are obscure(d) is immaterial. I am not aware of email spammers specifically searching for MY email address before sending me their special offers - if they have what they believe is a valid email address, they add it to their list. Similarly, Skype spammers will likely just take any Skype addresses from a contact search and give it a try.

Or maybe I just got unlucky....

[stuck]

If you can get them to always reject the invitation

You're a teenage boy and Fiesty Fiona wants to talk to you, what would you do?

No, they're good boys really, they understand about safe surfing.

Ken

[stuck]

Skype spammers will likely just take any Skype addresses from a contact search and give it a try.

I wonder if you could put them off the scent by creating a Skype address that looks like a spammers address? Probably not, that might even be like drawing a target on your forehead and saying, "shoot".

Ken

[StuartR]

I occassionally get people using skype-to-PSTN bridges on business calls.

This wastes a huge amount of my time as the sound quality is generally not good enough, especially if they are not native English speakers.

[Leif]

I wonder if you could put them off the scent by creating a Skype address that looks like a spammers address?

So you are going to suggest to your boys that they sign up with names like "Fiesty Fiona"?

[John Gray]

You're a teenage boy and Fiesty Fiona wants to talk to you, what would you do?

I would write back and say she should be called Feisty Fiona, and he is thus an obvious imposter!

[HansV]

What makes you think that such people can spell correctly? If you called everyone who writes "wierd" an impostor, you'd condemn a lot of people!

[John Gray]

What makes you think that such people can spell correctly? If you called everyone who writes "wierd" an impostor, you'd condemn a lot of people!

It is my sole function in life...!