[Server-devel] [XSCE] [Off Topic] More Linux users facing skype issues

[Adam Holt]

On Wed, Apr 6, 2016 at 1:45 PM, Adam Holt <holt at laptop.org> wrote:

> On Wed, Apr 6, 2016 at 1:06 PM, Anish Mangal <anishmg at umich.edu> wrote:
>
>> This will be my last message on this thread, and am cc-ing server-devel
>> (as was originally done), *but removing all the quoted text/history. *The
>> purpose is to sum all the skype alternatives provided. The server-devel is
>> an open mailing list so there will be a publicly-accessible link unlike
>> xsce-devel. I didn't know where to put this on the wiki.
>>
>> Alternatives to skype suggested in this thread:
>>
>> 1. Tox (https://tox.chat/) - Generally works well, except bad Android
>> support at the moment. No browser based client afaik.
>>
>> 2. Ring (https://ring.cx/) - Is supported on all platforms including
>> Android. No browser based client.
>>
>> 3. Mumble - Widely used, well supported
>>
>> 4. SIP - Widely used, well supported. Browser client is available.
>>
>> 5. Jitsi (https://jitsi.org/) - Apps for Windoze, Linux, OSX, but not
>> Android. Browser client available.
>>
>> 6. Firefox hello (https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/hello/?v=b)
>>
>> 7. Ventrilo (http://www.ventrilo.com/download.php)
>>
>> 8. BigBlueButton (http://bigbluebutton.org/) - Seems more targeted to
>> distance education
>>
>> 9. Hangouts - Widely used, no native clients, proprietary
>>
>>
>> Apologies if I missed any!
>>
>
> A "complete" list is not possible as we know!  The following 3 are
> extremely popular serving very similar roles -- community team-building
> moving above and beyond just transient anarchist gossip, with human-centric
> workflows/pacing/searchability for all kinds of people -- one day FLOSS
> communities might even wake up and demonstrate leadership here: (Hope
> Springs Eternal!!)
>
> a. http://slack.com reduces the barrage of pointless emails, by
> refocusing work on actual collegial teams.  Demonstrates an excellent
> understanding of how small teams actually work together (Margaret Mead
> meets the 21st century at last?!)  Sometimes used in combination with
> Trello.com for larger/distributed project management that truly need to
> scale.  Slack is described in an excellent 21min "radio" show yesterday @
> http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/5/11368864/slack-app-messaging-how-to --
> apparently this is now the fastest-growing enterprise software of all
> time.  And as such is now leaving the enterprise, used by all sorts of
> civic clubs, non-profits, fraternities/sororities/whatever!  Our good
> friends FLOSS group KidsOnComputers.org (who bring many computers to India,
> Morocco, Mexico etc) experienced a great increase in productivity when they
> adopted Slack.  Slack integrates shockingly well with most other software,
> including Skype/irc, upon which some say it is based (similar idea to irc
> channels anyway).  http://google.com/nonprofits is no doubt feeling the
> heat from Slack's blow-away success at bringing civic-minded doers together
> (but cannot say so publicly ;)
>
> b. http://telegram.me used by ISIS and human rights groups, seems it does
> not yet support voice or a GUI buddy-list?  Fedora folks seem to love it,
> and have good success, being heads-down style workers who have less need
> for sociable media?  Recently expanded from a 1000-user limit to a
> 5000-user limit.  Telegram is definitely going somewhere but I'm not sure
> where.  Reports would be awesome from folks who've used it on a long-term
> basis?
>
> c. http://whatsapp.com by Facebook that is nearly ubiquitous across the
> developing world (but not yet the US/Canada/EU, as a result of SMS being so
> cheap) and supports end-to-end encryption since yesterday for those who
> care about playing cat+mouse with the NSA (I do, since I believe we must
> always watch the watchmen, but I admit the vast majority of the planet does
> not give a damn ;)  I could not have been more impressed by teachers who
> built their own WhatsApp in-school networks in Ghana completely on their
> own (not unlike a mailing list or GHangout) to build solidarity and
> exchange lesson plan tips.
>

Aside: How many days until the NSA/Israel/China/Russia circumvent WhatsApp
encryption?  We'll probably never know unless they Tweet!  History was made
yesterday regardless, dramatically rebalancing of power between corrupt
police forces/citizen groups/corporations/mafias in developing countries in
way we cannot predict...and regressing countries too:
http://www.wired.com/2016/04/forget-apple-vs-fbi-whatsapp-just-switched-encryption-billion-people/

I should be using all 3 above, but I confess I am not yet.  Our growing
> Haitian team is more than familiar with Skype & GHangouts, and will
> probably begin experimenting with all 3 above to see what efficiencies
> (more like it, completely different *qualitative* ways of looking at
> productivity) we can deliver.  OpenStreetMap mentions even more options
> below, if you can sort out the wheat from the chaff: (warning, endless
> passive-aggressive bike-shaving / yak-shedding)
>
> https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk/2016-March/thread.html#75792
> (March 2016)
> https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk/2016-April/thread.html#75832
> (April 2016)
>
> --
>> Anish
>>
>> P.S. skype-web is unsupported on Linux. For reference, see the
>> description here -
>> https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/skype/lifbcibllhkdhoafpjfnlhfpfgnpldfl
>>
>
>
> --
> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org !
>
> --
> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org !
>
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