Is Skype abusive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Richard Steinfeld
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Richard Steinfeld

I apologize in advance if this post is "OT."

I just read about Skype for the first time today. I'm
suspicious -- who is paying?

Of particular note from Reuters today:
"Zennstrom [president of Skype] co-founded Kazaa, the computer
peer-to-peer file-sharing software that enabled millions to
download music from the Internet for free and caused much pain to
record companies. "

As I recall, Kazaa is/was a superstar of abusive spyware, and
Zennstrom was the perp-in-chief. Is this a case of "here we go
again?" Who pays this piper? Will Skype rape my computer in the
manner of Real Player (which performed more than 5,000 logged
changes to my operating system)? Is there a pound of flesh that
it'll take from my hide? Anybody know?

Richard
 
I apologize in advance if this post is "OT."

I just read about Skype for the first time today. I'm
suspicious -- who is paying?

Of particular note from Reuters today:
"Zennstrom [president of Skype] co-founded Kazaa, the computer
peer-to-peer file-sharing software that enabled millions to
download music from the Internet for free and caused much pain to
record companies. "

As I recall, Kazaa is/was a superstar of abusive spyware, and
Zennstrom was the perp-in-chief. Is this a case of "here we go
again?" Who pays this piper? Will Skype rape my computer in the
manner of Real Player (which performed more than 5,000 logged
changes to my operating system)? Is there a pound of flesh that
it'll take from my hide? Anybody know?

Richard
Click to expand...
Hello Richard,
I downloaded Skype. Before installing you can read the license, and I
didn't install it. After reading, with in my mind this comes from the
makers of Kazaa, I didn't trust it at all.
But you can read it for yourself and decide.
Peter
 
Peter Zwitser said:
I apologize in advance if this post is "OT."

I just read about Skype for the first time today. I'm
suspicious -- who is paying?

Of particular note from Reuters today:
"Zennstrom [president of Skype] co-founded Kazaa, the computer
peer-to-peer file-sharing software that enabled millions to
download music from the Internet for free and caused much pain to
record companies. "

As I recall, Kazaa is/was a superstar of abusive spyware, and
Zennstrom was the perp-in-chief. Is this a case of "here we go
again?" Who pays this piper? Will Skype rape my computer in the
manner of Real Player (which performed more than 5,000 logged
changes to my operating system)? Is there a pound of flesh that
it'll take from my hide? Anybody know?

Richard
Click to expand...
Hello Richard,
I downloaded Skype. Before installing you can read the license, and I
didn't install it. After reading, with in my mind this comes from the
makers of Kazaa, I didn't trust it at all.
But you can read it for yourself and decide.
Peter
Click to expand...

It seems that Skype intends to make its money from SkypeOut (calls from
computer to phones) while computer to computer calls are free (at present).
I'm not sure whether Skype is still in beta stage. I have not detected any
malware activities, and AFAIK it has not been regarded as malware by Spybot,
Ad-aware, MS Antispy etc.

===

Frank Bohan
¶ Willpower is the ability to eat one salted peanut.
 
Richard Steinfeld said:
I just read about Skype for the first time today. I'm
suspicious -- who is paying?
Click to expand...
I believe you have skype confused with shareaza. Skype is a free
computer<->computer and prepaid computer<->telephone (whatever they call
that) P2P VoIP service. I pay because I use its computer<->telephone L/D
service which costs slightly less than 3-cents U.S. per min; comparable
with OneSuite, say.
Shareaza, which also I use, is a P2P file sharing service. How much
it may "steal" from your computer is determined by your stupidity, just
as with Kazaa and with RealPlayer.
 
Peter Zwitser said:
I apologize in advance if this post is "OT."

I just read about Skype for the first time today. I'm
suspicious -- who is paying?

Of particular note from Reuters today:
"Zennstrom [president of Skype] co-founded Kazaa, the computer
peer-to-peer file-sharing software that enabled millions to
download music from the Internet for free and caused much pain to
record companies. "

As I recall, Kazaa is/was a superstar of abusive spyware, and
Zennstrom was the perp-in-chief. Is this a case of "here we go
again?" Who pays this piper? Will Skype rape my computer in the
manner of Real Player (which performed more than 5,000 logged
changes to my operating system)? Is there a pound of flesh that
it'll take from my hide? Anybody know?

Richard
Click to expand...
Hello Richard,
I downloaded Skype. Before installing you can read the license, and I
didn't install it. After reading, with in my mind this comes from the
makers of Kazaa, I didn't trust it at all.
But you can read it for yourself and decide.
Peter
Click to expand...

It seems that Skype intends to make its money from SkypeOut (calls from
computer to phones) while computer to computer calls are free (at present).
I'm not sure whether Skype is still in beta stage. I have not detected any
malware activities, and AFAIK it has not been regarded as malware by Spybot,
Ad-aware, MS Antispy etc.
Click to expand...
Australian Personal Computer slated it. Apparently if you want to talk
to another person then they must be running Skype as it will not talk
to anyone not on a Skype network.
 
David said:
Apparently if you want to talk
to another person then they must be running Skype as it will not talk
to anyone not on a Skype network.
Click to expand...

Errr, well, yes, if you're using the free Skype to Skype PC based, but
the Skype Out is for calling onto a plain old telephone (landline)
system, either in your own country or (some) overseas countries.
KeithS
 
Errr, well, yes, if you're using the free Skype to Skype PC based, but
the Skype Out is for calling onto a plain old telephone (landline)
system, either in your own country or (some) overseas countries.
KeithS
Click to expand...

Does is support any decent phones and is Skype needed on both sides of the
conversation?
 
Chrissy said:
Was that a yes or a no? LOL
Click to expand...

On your PC, you need Skype, headset/speakers and microphone, or you can
use, I believe, some special VOIP phones (http://www.voipvoice.com/).
The person who receives the call on a POTS landline uses their normal
phone. As they're not on a pc, they can't/don't use Skype.

KeithS
 
On your PC, you need Skype, headset/speakers and microphone, or you can
use, I believe, some special VOIP phones (http://www.voipvoice.com/).
The person who receives the call on a POTS landline uses their normal
phone. As they're not on a pc, they can't/don't use Skype.

KeithS
Click to expand...

Thanks, Keith.
 
Chrissy Cruiser said:
Thanks, Frank.

Was that a yes or a no? LOL
Click to expand...

Just a pointer in the right direction!!!

===

Frank Bohan
¶ Where there's a will, there's a beneficiary.
 
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