Skype - is it worth having

I see that a lot of folk are happy using Skype
and have tried to follow most of the threads.
I did take a look at a similar tech a few years
ago but it was not up to much. I realise that
things have moved on and most issues have
been sorted now, but is it for me?

JoeH...

I think it could be.

pmj...

Yes, the whole business of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
has definitely improved over the years...
Much of what applies to Skype applies to various other similar type
things, such as the VoIP Enabled Instant Messengers such as web-search Talk,
M$N Messenger, AOL AIM, ICQ, Yahoo etc, & there are also other
VoIP things, which aren't based on Instant Messengers.

The thing about Skype is that it was designed from the very beginning to
be *primarily* a VoIP thing (& it can also do Text Chat (IM) & File
Transfer & Video as well)

I would only use it occasionally

JoeH...

So do some of my contacts

pmj...

You can use Skype (or any other similar thing as often, or as
infrequently as you want.

I would only have a 3 - 4 member call list

JoeH...

So do some of my contacts

pmj...

That doen't matter.
You can have as many (or as few) Contacts as you want.

pmj...

Skype was expressly designed to work from behind a Firewall.
it's actually very difficult to Block it, using most normal Firewalls,
just by trying to Block certain Ports!
Which makes some firms & Corporate Users a bit wary of it.
It *can* be Blocked effectively, but only on an Application basis,
rather than a Port basis.

I would need to be able to use it behind
a network firewall

JoeH...

So do *many* of my contacts

JoeH...

So do *all* of my contacts

I would need to be able to use random IP
numbers when linking to the net

JoeH...

So do some of my contacts
Bit of a theme running through those answers andon LOL. Why not try
it? If it's not for you, you can always stop using it.

andon...

Sounds like a plan then :-) Thank you. I'll put in a chit tomorrow.

pmj...

Skype handles all that for you.
It keeps track of which Skype UserName is on which IP Address on an
ongoing basis.

Yo uhave to Log in to the Skype Service, which tells the Database
what IP Address it should use for each User to be Contacted on.

The Users themselves don't need to know what their IP Address is
(or what the IP Address of their Contact that they wish to call is)

pmj...

Like JoeH says,, try it & see how it works for you.

The main prob with all those sort of things is that you need to use
a System that is the same as whatever System your Contacts are using.

It's no good using M$N Messenger, or ICQ, or AOL AIM or web-search Talk
or Yahoo (for example) if all the people you want to talk to are using
Skype.

& vice Versa.
You can't Contact anybody using M$N, (or web-search Talk, ICQ, AOL AIM,
or Yahoo etc,) if you are using Skype!

Tickettyboo...

Apart from the random IP addy thing, sounds like the way I use it.

andon...

Yer but you get divine help with your machine :-)
I have to keep a flock of goats on a near-by field so as to get a bit
of help with windoze. I had to sacrifice half a dozen the last time
that my home system when up the swannie.

Sound quality is fine.
have been slapped enough recently lol>