Dear visitor,
if you're reading this page, chances are that someone has told you to install Skype, but you aren't fully convinced yet. Why install yet another software, you rightly ask, to talk with people?
If you don't know what Skype is, just know that it is a program for audio chatting. Which leads us back to the original question: why would you want to use it?
There are many other programs to talk with people, and software houses are working on new ones to surf the wave of the newborn world of mass VoIP communication.
Nevertheless, Skype has some unique features that make it the best application for voice chat.
Before I go any further, I want to clarify that I do not work for Skype nor I earn anything by convincing people to use it. I am a happy Skype user and I just want to spread the good news.
| Skype | Messengers (MSN, Yahoo, AIM...) |
Other VoIP software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio quality compared to standard phone calls |
Better | Worse | Usually worse |
| Free unlimited calls to users of the same software | Yes | Yes | Depends |
| Allows to call real phones | Yes | No | Yes |
| Low prices to call real phones | Yes | N/A | Depends |
| Conference calls | Yes | Depends | Usually not |
| Conference calls with other users AND real phones | Yes | No | Usually not |
| Textual instant messaging | Yes | Yes | Usually not |
| Encrypted secure communication | Yes | No | Usually not |
| File transfer functionality | Yes | Depends | No |
| Works with any router, firewall, NAT, etc. | Yes no configuration needed |
Depends | Depends |
| Spyware-free | Yes as stated by the producer |
Unknown | Unknown |
| Multiplatform MacOS X, GNU/Linux, Windows, PocketPC |
Yes | Depends | Usually not |
The audio quality you get when using Skype is better than the one you get when you use your phone.
Landline phone operators employ 3 KHz filters because the human voice is never higher than such a frequency; as a side effect, the audio quality degrades.
Skype, on the other hand, uses a compression algorithm that allows crystal-clear quality over the full range of audible frequencies, providing a much better talking experience. If both parties use a headset, the result is even better, because headsets inherently remove echo and background noise.
Of course, if you call landline phones with Skype the audio quality will be lower; this is because landline lines have a lower audio quality than Skype.
Calls to other Skype users are free (regardless of the duration), and the company behind Skype has said that Skype-Skype calls will continue to be free. They also give an advice to avoid paying for calls altogether: make your friends use Skype too, so you won't pay anything at all to talk to them!
If you buy credit (called SkypeOut), you can also use Skype to call regular phones all around the world. The cost depends on the destination you're calling to, not on where you're calling from. If you are in Madagascar, you can call Germany for the same price that you would pay if you were in France... or in Germany itself.
Calls to several common destinations – Argentina (Buenos Aires), Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Canada (mobiles), Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico (Mexico City, Monterrey), Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg), Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States (except Alaska and Hawaii), United States (mobiles) and Vatican – cost €0.017 per minute, which is about $0.02. You can see all the rates on skype.com.
There are no contracts to sign or anything complicated. Just buy your SkypeOut credit, pay with your credit card or PayPal, and in a matter of minutes you will be able to call regular phones... and it's cheap. Could it be any easier?
Skype has the ability to make conference calls, that is talking to more than one person at a time (up to five). This may not sound very cool (some messengers do that too), but you can have conferences with Skype users and regular phones. That means that you can talk with two friends using Skype and with two other friends using regular phones, or even call four people on the phone.
Obviously, if you call more than one number using SkypeOut you will be charged for more than one call. But it's still cheap, and how else can you do such a thing anyway? It's great.
If you can't or don't want to talk, you can use the dear old textual instant messaging with Skype too. There's also a non-advertised feature: if the recipient of your message is not online, it will be delivered the next time open Skype. This is something that can't be done with all other instant messengers; for instance, AIM and MSN do not support this feature: if your recipient is not online, the message will not be delivered at all.
With Skype, the calls are encrypted till they are routed on the Internet. This means that even if bad people "tune in", they won't be able to hear the conversation. If you're making a call to a regular phone, though, the call will be encrypted until it reaches the "old-style" regular phone network. This is not a problem with Skype, it's just how regular phone lines work.
Textual instant messaging on Skype is also encrypted.
Since Skype is essentially a computer application, it gives the users to send files to other Skype users. There is a unique feature that other applications that allow file transfers lack: tranfserring a file with Skype is always successful. You will never need to open ports on your router (or ask your network administrator to do so), worry about having a public IP address or anything like that.
Skype's peer-to-peer network topology guarantees that files will always be transferred. If the two parties can contact each other directly, the file will be sent as quickly as possible; otherwise, it will be sent through intermediate users, transparently and securely (remember: everything is encrypted!). In this case, though, the transfer will be slower, to avoid that the intermediate users get lagged; however, a slow trasnfer is better than no transfer at all, so Skype wins once again.
As stated in the previous point, Skype will always work. You never need to fiddle with your router, firewall or... network administrator; Skype will do its best to allow you to communicate with the world, and it will always succeed.
Thanks to its unique peer-to-peer network topology (Skype was invented by the same inventor of Kazaa), you don't need to be directly in contact with your party: as long as both of you can reach the outside world, you will be able to talk to each other.
Skype authors claim that their product doesn't contain any spyware or other malicious code that collects personal information about the user. While no one can really tell for sure whether it is true or not, it's a good sign that it's stated clearly. The others leave you with the benefit of doubt... but is it a benefit, or is it the gate to paranoia?
Skype is a multiplatform software; that means that it has been made available for MacOS X, GNU/Linux, Windows and even PocketPC. You can make and receive calls basically everywhere (unless you're using some unusual computer), which is great news if you don't use Windows.
With other messengers, the official version is usually the Windows one; other users are forced to use third-party compatible clients written by clever programmers, but they sometimes just stop working because the original software house changes the server protocol. Moreover, in most cases the "advanced" features of these messengers (audio and video) usually rely on proprietary algorithms, so unless you use the official version – and usually on Windows only – you can't use them. In the case of Skype, you get support on four different operating systems by the same people who designed the program itself, which is definitely a good thing.
Even if you use Windows, this is good news: now you can talk with your friends who use a different operating system.
As you have probably guessed, the best way to use Skype is to use a headset (those fancy headphones with a microphone on one side). There are very cheap ones available and they improve the experience dramatically, as the headphones cut any echo and the microphone only catches your voice without any background noise.
In case you don't have a headset – but get one as soon as possible, your Skype friends will love you forever – wearing a pair of headphones is the first step in the right direction, because they will filter out any echo.
The problem with using your speakers and a simple microphone is that your partner's voice will come out of your speakers and enter your microphone, so he will hear himself. And that's not a good thing, it's almost impossible to keep track of what you're saying if you keep hearing yourself after a second or so; it's like a constant déjà-vu. And usually low-quality microphones, not to mention those built-in into webcams, also capture a lot of background noise. If your computer has a noisy fan, be sure that your conversation partner will hear it... amplified.
Imagine how terrible it can be when noise and echo get together. Would you enjoy being in your partner's shoes? I'm sure you wouldn't, so please buy a headset. I paid mine €5.90, that would be less than $8. It's not a big sum, but it makes a big difference. And I'm speaking from experience.
This document was written by Daniele Nicolucci, aka Jollino. If you find any errors, misspellings, grammar glitches, or if you think that something is not clear, feel free to mail me at jollino at sogno dot net. You need to replace at with the "at" symbol and dot with, well, a dot.
©2001–200… Daniele Nicolucci (Jollino)
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