athenian200
Circumspect
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2010
We all use it, it's the standard platform. But what do you really think of Skype? Here's my take on it.
It's a very useful program that fulfills a lot of essential functions. You can use it for VoIP, chat rooms, IMs, conference calls, video calls, and more. Best of all, most of these functions are free or cheap. Also, it has a working client on Mac, Windows, and Linux (though the Mac and Linux clients are a bit limited). It's no surprise that people are attracted to it.
An analysis isn't an analysis without critique, though, and I have plenty of that. First off, the Skype clients for other platforms have oddly limited functionality and infrequent updates. These older clients still work, but they often cause strange issues and glitches when interacting with other versions of Skype. This tends to reduce the stability and reliability of the network as a whole. Also, the newest versions of Skype tend to introduce advertising in more and more places, add smilies that people don't like, and implement unwanted features while removing or obscuring needed functionality in the name of "simplicity."
Skype also locks you in with proprietary features, and has in some cases started charging for a service they previously provided for free, without even offering improvements; an infamous example is video conference calling. Also, Skype is closed. You can't write your own client, you can't disable ads, you can't pick your own theme, and you can't change the smilies that come with it or decide whether to accept the changes they've made to them each version. You take what you get, like it or not.
Finally, due to the P2P nature of Skype, it's very bandwidth-heavy and uses your Internet connection even when you're not online. Your bandwidth is used to prop up the whole network, and you are not even warned about this when setting it up. If you have a low bandwidth cap, this could result in exorbitant charges.
I believe that the following are main reasons Skype continues to thrive:
1. Established. Skype has been established for a long time as the medium of choice among many groups, and this momentum would be somewhat difficult to reverse once a community has been established.
2. Lack of alternatives. Some of you may disagree, but there really are no alternatives to Skype that do everything it does. True, you can find a program that does voice calls, a program that does video conferencing, or a program that uses IRC for chats. The problem is that no other program unifies these functions or makes them quite as simple as Skype does. With Skype, you can use the same groups, and same set of contacts for all of these functions as needed. It's easy to shift gears into other functions, create new groups with mostly the same people, and quickly alert everyone that this has happened. Many other programs don't necessarily show everyone what's going on quickly and in an intuitive fashion.
Programs like TeamSpeak, XFire, and Ventrillo are mostly aimed at gamers, and are largely unsuitable for other target audiences. Additionally, they share many of the same problems as Skype, and sometimes have more issues.
It is my belief that until we get something completely open source, with video, voice, and text capabilities on par with Skype, our communication will be increasingly in the hands of private companies that will demand more money for what are now considered basic features, on top of our ISP's fees. I think that this is an undesirable situation.
It's a very useful program that fulfills a lot of essential functions. You can use it for VoIP, chat rooms, IMs, conference calls, video calls, and more. Best of all, most of these functions are free or cheap. Also, it has a working client on Mac, Windows, and Linux (though the Mac and Linux clients are a bit limited). It's no surprise that people are attracted to it.
An analysis isn't an analysis without critique, though, and I have plenty of that. First off, the Skype clients for other platforms have oddly limited functionality and infrequent updates. These older clients still work, but they often cause strange issues and glitches when interacting with other versions of Skype. This tends to reduce the stability and reliability of the network as a whole. Also, the newest versions of Skype tend to introduce advertising in more and more places, add smilies that people don't like, and implement unwanted features while removing or obscuring needed functionality in the name of "simplicity."
Skype also locks you in with proprietary features, and has in some cases started charging for a service they previously provided for free, without even offering improvements; an infamous example is video conference calling. Also, Skype is closed. You can't write your own client, you can't disable ads, you can't pick your own theme, and you can't change the smilies that come with it or decide whether to accept the changes they've made to them each version. You take what you get, like it or not.
Finally, due to the P2P nature of Skype, it's very bandwidth-heavy and uses your Internet connection even when you're not online. Your bandwidth is used to prop up the whole network, and you are not even warned about this when setting it up. If you have a low bandwidth cap, this could result in exorbitant charges.
I believe that the following are main reasons Skype continues to thrive:
1. Established. Skype has been established for a long time as the medium of choice among many groups, and this momentum would be somewhat difficult to reverse once a community has been established.
2. Lack of alternatives. Some of you may disagree, but there really are no alternatives to Skype that do everything it does. True, you can find a program that does voice calls, a program that does video conferencing, or a program that uses IRC for chats. The problem is that no other program unifies these functions or makes them quite as simple as Skype does. With Skype, you can use the same groups, and same set of contacts for all of these functions as needed. It's easy to shift gears into other functions, create new groups with mostly the same people, and quickly alert everyone that this has happened. Many other programs don't necessarily show everyone what's going on quickly and in an intuitive fashion.
Programs like TeamSpeak, XFire, and Ventrillo are mostly aimed at gamers, and are largely unsuitable for other target audiences. Additionally, they share many of the same problems as Skype, and sometimes have more issues.
It is my belief that until we get something completely open source, with video, voice, and text capabilities on par with Skype, our communication will be increasingly in the hands of private companies that will demand more money for what are now considered basic features, on top of our ISP's fees. I think that this is an undesirable situation.
