Skype acquired by Microsoft

Mourning post about Skype future...
Although it have the policy to be closed and stuff. It was nice to have it at least providing the platform choice for their users. I hope that at least in that aspect Microsoft doesn't come to screw up.

In other aspects it may help the World to get rid of MSN Live Network, which has being the biggest technical / protocol failure all time for Instant Messaging and Communications. Including yearly Protocol Hacks and Updates, with fallback servers and periodical outage.
It would be a superb evolution for Microsoft to get rid of the technical garbage pile of MSN Live Network and applications, replacing it by Skype.

Phone Numbers and Telecoms will be affected and we are getting closer and closer to a phone number extinction. This acquisition not only confirms it, but also will speed it up. In that sense it is a positive move.

If you want to see yourself free of those monopoly battles use:

• Jitsi.org - Open Source Fully Featured Jingle and SIP Video Client
• Used in combination with fastvoip.com you get a very cheap (sometimes free) solution for calling international phone numbers
• OneTeam.im - Open Source Jingle Client with Native Jingle Nodes Support

Android Video Call over Jingle

Finally! Google released what they already had. Video Call on Android!
As we know Google Talk already offers Video Calls even on gmail web client, now they extended the support also for Android 2.3.4.
The technology behind it, is the same behind gmail Video Call, XMPP and Jingle.

As GTalk also support XMPP Federation, Jingle is one step ahead towards World domination!

ISP and Operators Take Another Hit on VoIP Blocking

"In view of those characteristics, Advocate General Cruz Villalón considers that the installation of that filtering and blocking system is a restriction on the right to respect for the privacy of communications and the right to protection of personal data, both of which are rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights. By the same token, the deployment of such a system would restrict freedom of information, which is also protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights."

The text above was extracted from the public document: http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2011-04/cp110037en.pdf

This also mean that VoIP filtering applied by Vodafone and other operators in Europe, is illegal.

The more stupid Operators blocks VoIP more the market drives to an IM based communication, which they cannot block. They are the responsible for sinking their own business due their greed and incapacity of adapting to a new communication era. Innovate or fade.

Operators that blocks, filter or censor rich communication like VoIP and Streaming, they have a much shorter lifespan than you might think.