Geeks, call me on Ekiga!

by Forrest Sheng Bao http://fsbao.net

I am really tired of the stupid Skype, though Skype has many users around the world - people are stupid. The problem of Skype to me is

1. No native 64-bit support for Linux and I need hacking to make 32-bit Skype like my webcam in 64-bit Linux - We have been waiting for this for at least 2 years.
   
2. Closed source code and protocol
3. Unknown mechanism on managing our privacy - because of problem #2
4. Not friendly with some hardware on Linux - I am tried of struggling on this
   

According to my experience, open source solution can work better than proprietary solution if the developers themselves need this solution very much. So it is. Geeks need to talk and video each other. Then here comes the Ekiga! http://ekiga.org

What is Ekiga? It is a software/solution thru which you can video chat your friends on another PC, if both of you are using Ekiga. And it is free, free as Skype and free as in freedom - totally open source solution.

I tried it tonight. Great! I don't have to struggle on hardware problem - everything works perfectly with my 64-bit Ubuntu Linux.

So, geeks, if you want to call me next time, do NOT use Skype but Ekiga. My Ekiga username is my first name and last name @ekiga.net

In most Linux distributions, you can find it under the "Internet" application menu. Now set it up and try a test voice: "1,2,3, Ekiga rocks!"

PS: Currently, I am not sure whether Ekiga can work with traditional phone network as well as Skype. For example, if I purchased a number, can Ekiga forward the call to another phone? I use this function in Skype. If this problem can be solved, everything is done. Anyway, I know Grandcentral/Google Voice can make it. So, let's see.