Microsoft buys Skype for $5Bn

[harrybarracuda]

Microsoft has bought internet firm Skype for £5bn.

The deal, one of the biggest in Microsoft's history, gives it a foothold in the internet market, where it has lagged behind rivals Google and Apple.

Microsoft has struggled to hold an internet presence in recent years.

It invested heavily in marketing and improving the technology of its Bing search engine.

While it has made some market share gains over the past year, Google has dominated the market with a 65% share of the search engine market.

Skype's innovative technology allows free web phone calls

One of the world's most popular online programmes, Luxembourg-based Skype has 663 million global users. In August last year it announced plans for a share flotation, but this was subsequently put on hold.

Internet auction house eBay bought Skype for $2.6bn in 2006, before selling 70% of it in 2009 for $2bn.

Skype is now majority-owned by a group of investors, led by private equity firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.

Skype uses a technology called voice over internet protocol, which treats calls as data like email messages and routes them over the internet, rather than a traditional phone network.

Skype's software, which can be downloaded free, allows users to call other Skype users on computers or certain mobile phones for free.

Skype users can also call land lines for a fee and conduct video calls.

[Thetyim]

Damn, suppose I had better start looking for alternatives now

[harrybarracuda]

Damn, suppose I had better start looking for alternatives now

OovOO

[Thetyim]

^ Thanks

[harrybarracuda]

You're welcome.

[fiddler]

I do use skype for video chats which is free.
I have never given Skype any money.
How can it be worth billions if they don't make money?
I guess you are right and it will change.
VOIP discount is another alternative that I've been using for years.
Google voice is another one but i haven't used it.
I would think facebook will come out with one too (especially if Microsoft starts charging)

[baldrick]

I have used skype since 2004 and I probably spend 20 euros a year with them.

but - time to look for an alternative .

http://www.tecrux.com/2011/01/01/bes...natives-skype/

I wonder how far GNU free call has gotten

[dirtydog]

^Yep, using skype will become as dangerous virus wise as using outlook, shame really.

[harrybarracuda]

I do use skype for video chats which is free.
I have never given Skype any money.
How can it be worth billions if they don't make money?
I guess you are right and it will change.
VOIP discount is another alternative that I've been using for years.
Google voice is another one but i haven't used it.
I would think facebook will come out with one too (especially if Microsoft starts charging)

If you call proper telephones from Skype (as opposed to calling Skype mobile), they charge.

I would have thought it would make more sense for M$ to spend a billion or so improving Messenger. But this way they are buying a ready made, paying customer base.

[hopskimoet]

I subscribe to Skype. It's a real boon. For £3.39 a month I get unlimited calls to Thailand (land-line and mobile). Skype-To-Go on the mobile is also very good and the price of SMS messages are minimal.

[harrybarracuda]

I subscribe to Skype. It's a real boon. For £3.39 a month I get unlimited calls to Thailand (land-line and mobile). Skype-To-Go on the mobile is also very good and the price of SMS messages are minimal.

Yes, but I think the question on everyones' lips is "How quickly will Microsoft fuck it up?".

[Butterfly]

Skype is shit,

it's cheaper to call overseas from Thailand, I pay 5THB/min,

try to beat that with Skype

[Butterfly]

I subscribe to Skype. It's a real boon. For £3.39 a month I get unlimited calls to Thailand (land-line and mobile). Skype-To-Go on the mobile is also very good and the price of SMS messages are minimal.

Yes, but I think the question on everyones' lips is "How quickly will Microsoft fuck it up?".

I think the real question is why they have too much money and spoil it on stupid acquisitions

they should increase their dividends, or reduce the price of their expensive windows license

[benbaaa]

I switched to ooVoo when Skype had all those problems a while back, and there's no way I'd switch back. ooVoo is better.

[baldrick]

Ekiga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linphone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mumble (software) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blink (software) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jitsi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
QuteCom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

for a look

I reject ooVoo as it can be fcuked up just as quickly and they already are too greedy

[PlanK]

I think the real question is why they have too much money and spoil it on stupid acquisitions they should increase their dividends, or reduce the price of their expensive windows license

Diversifying for the future when the Linux's and Open Offices start cutting into their core business.

[Butterfly]

Office is their money making bitch, nobody is competiting in that market, the alternatives are crap

only Google documents is a serious competitor,

[Thetyim]

Let's hope we don't get a repeat of the Gizmo fiasco.

On November 12, 2009, Google announced that it had acquired Gizmo5.
On March 4, 2011, Google announced that the service will be discontinued as of April 3, 2011

[Butterfly]

I actually know the guy behind Gizmo, he was a fraud, so he sold a POS software to Google, not surprised it is discontinued

he did similar deals before, hype shitty software and then sell them to big corps, usually fucking over employees and shareholders, except himself of course

[hopskimoet]

Post his name and let his reputation precede him. Saves a fucking-over in the future.

[Butterfly]

he is quite famous, and he has his own hate page by former employees and co-workers

he is a nasty fucker, surprised he is not in jail yet or dead

[Hampsha]

Is Skype mroe popular with Americans? Seems like most I know use it.

[harrybarracuda]

Office is their money making bitch, nobody is competiting in that market, the alternatives are crap

only Google documents is a serious competitor,

What horseshit. There are a ton of open source alternatives. They aren't competing because they're free.

[Butterfly]

They aren't competing because they're free

they are shit, name one that works at par with MS Office

and don't mention OpenOffice, it's garbage

[larvidchr]

Skype is one of the great and very cheap ways to communicate with friends and family worldwide.

Skype to Skype on any skype compatible internet connected device is FREE

Skype calls directly to landlines overseas have a small fee, my last call to a European landline from Thailand lasted 54 min, at a cost of 1,065 Euro works out at 46,01 THB - about 0,85 THB a min (Butterbutt)

Calling Mobiles directly overseas with no skype on and inet. connection is a bit expensive relatively, I don't recall exactly but in the order of maybe 5 Euros for 30 min. so no big deal really.

The connection quality have vastly improved over the years and now it is most often perfect and better than my Thai landline connections, and on skype to skype you have the possibility for video calls if you are so inclined.

I still remember how much money I used calling overseas before internet calls where possible, these things have certainly changed for the better. So lets hope Microsoft wont screw an already working system up.