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Skype's Future In The Hands Of Microsoft
By: Joe Purcell
Expert Author
2011-05-18
Skype has caught the attention of Linux lovers. Few propriety applications with the quality of Skype support Linux. Yet, its popularity among the Linux community may be short lived with Microsoft's recent acquisition of Skype for $8.5 billion using its offshore funds. This is the biggest acquisition Microsoft has ever done and sets Goldman Sachs as the top tech banker.
Security enthusiasts, as most Linux users are, love Skype for the high level of encryption the application uses. Even though Skype's encryption was allegedly cracked last summer, it remains secure enough to keep the honest people honest, and even the dishonest people. As the Economist writes, there have been other concerns regarding security from the beginning. Certainly, with Skype now tagged as Microsoft it will come under greater scrutiny by hackers to exploit these issues. However, it is yet to be determined whether the acquisition will improve or worsen Skype's security.
The big question, though, is whether or not Skype for Linux survive under its new rulers, as many worry. Microsoft already has VoIP and other telephony technologies, such as the new Lync for Office (also for enterprise), the popular MSN Messenger, and other enterprise solutions. Perhaps the focus is on mobile potential with Nokia. There are other worries that Microsoft will require a Windows LiveID to create a Skype account. Wall Street Journal has some other suggestions, but at this point it is unclear what Microsoft will do,
Yet, as Matt Hartley writes, "rather than dwell on what we can't control, [let's] instead look at what might be an opening for Skype alternatives." He names Ekiga, Google Talk, and the new Jitsi. There are some issues with each. Ekiga is only available on Linux and Windows. Google Talk doesn't have an application, though Lifehacker shows it can be run with Mozilla Prism. And though Jitsi is available cross platform, it is in early development stages. Hopefully, Skype will last, but in the event it does not, these alternatives are promising for the Linux community.
About the Author:
Joe Purcell is a technology virtuoso, cyberspace frontiersman, and connoisseur of Linux, Mac, and Windows alike.
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