Skype Alternative

[pickers]

Hi guys,

I've just got an email this morning from the computing services at my University (I'm at Oxford) and I have been informed that Skype has been banned because it setups a server and this is in contravention of University rules! So any ideas of any other decent VoiP programmes that I can use?

Pickers

[directhex]

"(6) (a) No computer connected to the university network may be used
to give any person who is not a member or employee of the University
or its colleges access to any network services outside the department
or college where that computer is situated."

that sound about right?

okay, try www.sipphone.com

[edit] or i could ask on a handy university mailing list for approved suggestions

[Adam]

This is ridiculous. HEx, any idea behind the exact reasoning other than that crap they gave us? perhaps the university is losing money by people not using there premium rate numbers!

[pickers]

gosh, that is exactly the email I received...your psychic abilities astound me

Thanks for the app though

Oh and are you at Oxford or has your Uni sent out a similar email?

[directhex]

the reason for it is that Skype operates as a kazaa-style P2P system, where people with fat bandwidth are assigned as "supernodes", and end up routing an awful lot of traffic. In the case of JA.net connections such as those of UK universities, we're talking a multi-gigabit pipe to the outside world, so anyone using skype ends up as a supernode for pretty much the whole continent.

Which means an awful lot of traffic from random people worldwide being routed through the university's (expensive) connections.

if your hosue had a big garden, i think you'd be right in feeling miffed if strangers played football in it

[Adam]

Right, makes sense. Just spoke to our IT guy who reckons the traffic is not a massive problem. But if the oucs think it is then fair enough.

[directhex]

it's a security concern, and the traffic IS considerable.

if my mail from OUCS is to be believed, anyway.

any complaints should go through the subcommittee of your choice on http://www.ox.ac.uk/it/groups/

[edit] ITSS-D is full of people suggesting those dodgy phonecards you get in corner shops, and i have used one myself for USA->UK calls. i still suspect SIP doesn't breach any rules, though, so would encourage use of SIPphones et al