"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9A5897C1C6CEEnoonehomecom@208.49.80.253...
>> But Larry, do you not see the irony that you're defending a
>> (relatively) overpriced, closed, proprietary service like Skype tooth
>> and nail because you believe it represents a good value to you, yet to
>> crap on anyone who defends their "SELLphone" data service because
>> ubiquitous mobile data represents a good value to them?
>
>
> I just don't understand why you get your panties all in a wad because
> Skype is proprietary, mentioned over and over in this message.

My panties aren't in a wad, I'm just explaining why Skype isn't considered
by some to be "VoIP" since VoIP typically describes the SIP standard.

It's like the difference between my WinMo phone or your N800 and a PC.
They're all useful tools, and share many of the same functions, but my phone
and your tablet aren't Intel-based computers, so they run proprietary
software designed for those devices specifically. (Yes, yours runs Linux,
but the apps have to be recompiled for the different processor and
environment. A straight Linux for PC app will not run on the N800
directly.)

> To
> users, like me, I don't care a bit how proprietary it is because I have
> no investment, whatsoever, in its software (free), and have no contract
> forcing me to buy it more than until next month, now that the yearly fee
> bargains have been discontinued.

True, but you DO have an investment in hardware, like your WiFi phones.
Unless they support the SIP protocol, you can't change VoIP providers.
(Although at least some of the WiFi phones I've seen do support SIP as
well.) Obviously the advantage of compatible VoIP hardware is that you can
choose between literally hundreds of providers competing on price. But more
importantly, SIP hardware allows you to have a "Vonage-like" home phone
service replacement at a fraction of Vonage's costs.


> My price went DOWN since unlimited
> went away! I was paying $60/year for a phone number. That's now
> $24/number with Skype Pro's $3/mo.


I'm not arguing $60/year for unlimited isn't a good deal. I just don't see
the value of Skype's extra services- I use free Skype to Skype features,
like video calling. The $5/month extra to "convert" Skype to PSTN use, IMO,
is better spent on a service that does it better- that's all.

> This has nothing to do with Sellphones, of course. I don't defend
> Skype, at all, and have no pecuinary interest in whether it lives or
> dies. But, I DO point out that crapware like VONAGE is way overpriced
> over Skype's costs. If you're happy with simple VoIP interconnects for
> $2 less than Skype with all its freebie features...I'm not dumping on
> you, at all. The difference between them is 3 quarts of gas at Sunoco.
> The difference in what they DO for $2 more is cool. I am stuck with a
> Skype Phone I freely admit was a mistake because free wifi has gone to
> webpage logons it doesn't support. That has nothing to do with which
> VoIP company, just the poor design Netgear did on the Skype phone. The
> N800 was purchased, initially, to cover these deficiencies on the road,
> which it does, fully.

Fair enough- I use my WinMo phone ofor VoIP on the road for the same reason-
better compatibility (like the N800, it can do Skype, SIP, etc.) and handles
authentication well.


> I have played with Gizmo and the other comm toys on the N800. NONE of
> them is the pleasure to use the Skype software on the tablet provides.
> I only miss my Skype webcam, but we get around that with Google Talk.

Gizmo just added video to their N800 software- you should check it out.

> Merely pointing out any alternatives to what's being hawked on a thread
> should never have to turn into a brawl-under-a-bridge....but sometimes
> it seems it must as hotheads blow off steam.
>
> I'm too old to care....(c;

Brawling wasn't my intent- you just seemed to think that the downplaying of
Skype or Mobivox on DSLR was due to some conspiracy (surprise!) or
censorship by "VoIP interests." VoIP providers aren't in some kind of
anti-Skype alliance- they're separate entities all trying to cut each
other's throats, and have no control over an independent forum either singly
or in aggregate. My point was only the rest of the VoIP-using world isn't
as enamored of Skype as you are, and other providers also provide excellent
value and good feature sets. To each his or her own... In my case, I do
use Skype for the free features, and very occasional LD use from my Skype
credits if I find myself on a hotel system that attempts to block VoIP
(times when "proprietary" is an advantage!)