Linked by Howard Fosdick on Thu 8th Nov 2012 02:24 UTC
Microsoft is discontinuing Windows Live Messenger in 1st quarter 2013, forcing users to switch to Skype. Most would want to switch to Skype anyway with its more advanced capabilities, and the switch makes sense to Microsoft, since they purchased Skype for $8.5 billion last year. However, the move may be seen as typical Redmondian high-handedness by those using Messenger with dial-up. Technically Skype works with dial-up but in practice most agree you really need broadband for decent use. Will everyone view Messenger as replaceable by Skype?
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Member since:2006-12-06
I looked into Jitsi a while back (during/after the last major Skype outage). I didn't go with it in the end as I got a bit frustrated trying to set it up and Skype got working again.
https://jitsi.org/
But it's cross-platform, at least for PC OSes. As for mobile they don't have a client, but then it uses open protocols so there's probably an Android client that would interoperate.
And I should probably look into again due its OSS nature and secure encryption, considering how much I communicate with China (Skype for China has filtering and a backdoor for the Party to intrude)
Member since:2006-02-15
RE[3]: Alternatives?
by Bringbackanonposting on Fri 9th Nov 2012 06:53
in reply to "RE[2]: Alternatives?"
Member since:2005-11-16
I looked into Jitsi a while back (during/after the last major Skype outage). I didn't go with it in the end as I got a bit frustrated trying to set it up and Skype got working again.
It's built on Java dude!
I didn't realise until I installed it and all my processor fans ran full speed. Looking at the process list found java at 100%. Killed it and uninstall. Phew, that was close...
Member since:2005-07-06
I'm personally more interested in an Average Joe - oriented cross-platform WLM alternative. I mean, the software would have to do all the usual stuff like e.g. voice and video chat, text chat with colours and embedded pictures, graphical smileys, the ability to send and receive files, offline messages, and maintaining of friends lists.
[...] it must be a separate application, not just something that runs inside the browser.
[...] it must be a separate application, not just something that runs inside the browser.
Too bad for the last requirement. Because a combination (so yeah, still not that great, not one app; though I'm not sure how extensive the Android client is) of Gmail with video plugin plus the original win32 GTalk, does pretty much all that (Gtalk for image transfers with nice previews, and file transfers in general if too big for email); maybe except not having several buddy lists, if that's what you want there.
Too bad it might not last, the win32 client is how neglected.
So, other than that... Skype, I suppose ;p
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Member since:
2006-02-15
I'm personally more interested in an Average Joe - oriented cross-platform WLM alternative. I mean, the software would have to do all the usual stuff like e.g. voice and video chat, text chat with colours and embedded pictures, graphical smileys, the ability to send and receive files, offline messages, and maintaining of friends lists.
It being a replacement for WLM and needing to be Average Joe - oriented places several restrictions on it, however: chat rooms are not a replacement for friends lists and therefore friends lists are a hard requirement, there must be no need to choose a server or set up and configure server - related settings, and it must be a separate application, not just something that runs inside the browser.
I'm not aware of anything that'd fulfill those requirements except a few closed-source, non-cross-platform clients.