[Asterisk-Users] Gizmo: Skype done right?

[Erik Espinoza]

On 6/30/05, Michiel van Baak <michiel at vanbaak.info> wrote:
> On 15:30, Thu 30 Jun 05, Erik Espinoza wrote:
> > Agreed. IAX2 would have been a much better way to go. Regardless i
> > don't see how an open source, standards based softphone will compete
> > with Skype. Skype has a few things going for it:
> >
> > 1) Hype, lots of it. It's no coincidence that that the two rhyme
> > 2) Built in traversal of firewalls - p2p style (have I mentioned I
> > hate sip + nat)
> > 3) Encryption, Encryption, Encryption
> 
> huh?? why is this a pre ?
> All my connections (cept to our ITSP) are encrypted.
> Even the IAX2 and SIP links between the different asterisk
> machines.
> In my opinion encrypting the whole network stack is a better
> way to go then just encrypt one protocol while leaving a lot
> of other sensitive stuff flow unencrypted.
> Encryption is higly overrated in voip world. Did you ever
> try to evedrop a call ???

Skype emulates an stun type system using third parties, which is where
the p2p aspect of it comes into play. Having encryption when your data
is travelling through untrusted third party hosts is a good thing.

As far as I know SIP w/ Asterisk is not encrypted, in fact there is a
bounty for it:
http://www.voip-info.org/tiki-index.php?page=Asterisk+Bounty+SIP+encryption

Using your own encryption with a vpn is nice, when you have full
control over everything but unfeasible when you are dealing with other
peoples networks. For example, ssh works great behind nat, but some
vpn's need extra configuration.

We are talking about a client for the unwashed masses, not for a group
of system folks who know what they are doing.

> >
> > An open source, standards based free implementation does not win over
> > users. There needs to be more, just ask the Ogg folks how MP3's doing.
> 
> I have around 10 GB of mp3 and "only" 64 GB of .ogg files.
> More and more ppl adept .ogg cause it's simply better.
> A better example would be Video2000 vs VHS. That's where the
> best hyped version (read, the best lost) won.

Really? That's good for you, Ogg Vorbis is a great audio codec.
However you must realize that you are the exception and not the rule.
I mean face reality dude, the biggest selling digital audio players
don't support Ogg!

I stand by my example for the same reason. Ogg has some market share,
but it's puny. I expect the same to happen with Gizmo.