[Ubuntu-ZW] Why skype is not part of ubuntu

[Spencer Tom Tafadzwa Chirume]

 From my experience it's easy enough to differentiate between programs by  
their nature usually a good number are commercial and while getting used  
to open source you'll have to put and with different types of software,  
noting the license type and reading a little about it will suffice in most  
cases since different types usually don't always fit on one disc, server  
or repository.
Skype, Adobe plugins usually fall into such categories it's worth filing  
bugs or sending emails to the repository maintainers to push items on to  
servers, if it's freely available it's a start - the rest needs users to  
make it happen requests and such.

--
Spencer

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  Using  Opera's  e-mail  client:  http://www.opera.com/mail/

On Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:06:31 +0100, Kalpesh Thaker <luminary06 at gmail.com>  
wrote:

> hi guys...i thought this was quite an interesting read.. on a very  
> common question for ubuntu users:

> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SkypeEthics


> Why is Skype not part of Ubuntu?
>
> Skype is not part of the Ubuntu distribution because it does not conform  
> to the requirements of the Ubuntu Charter. This is primarily because  
> source code is not available. A consequence of this is that it is  
> impossible to understand the Skype communication protocol, which  
> prevents competition and fractures the VoIP market, making it harder for  
> people to communicate. As an example, Skype users can only talk with  
> other Skype users because the Skype protocol is closed. But people using  
> SIP clients like Ekiga can talk with anyone else using a SIP client  
> (such as Wengophone or Twinkle) since SIP is a free protocol.
> Earlier versions of Skype (1.2 and older) might have issues with basic  
> sound cards that do not support hardware mixing due to using the Open  
> Sound System (OSS).
> VoIP soft-phones included in Ubuntu
>
> There are several alternative software based VoIP phones, that are 'free  
> libre open', use 'open' protocols, and are included in the Ubuntu  
> repositories. Among others, there are:
> Empathy with full Video & Voice chat support, Google Talk compatible
> Pidgin
> Ekiga
> Twinkle
> Wengophone now known as Qutecom.KPhoneGimzo5
> Ethics of Skype
>
> Free Software
>
> Ubuntu supports free software, which anyone can use, modify and improve,  
> and open protocols, so that different software can interoperate. Skype's  
> software and the Skype protocol are both entirely secret. Users may  
> choose to avoid Skype because:They will be forced to use Skype software  
> as no alternatives will be availableOnce they develop a Skype network of  
> contacts, it will be harder to move to a free networkSkype could begin  
> charging for their service at any time they choose
> Skype has deliberately limited capabilities of Skype for non-Intel users  
> (details here)Skype is provided and runs natively only on the x86 and  
> x86_64 (32 and 64 bit), ARM (iPhone) and Power PC (Mac with G4 or G5  
> processor) architectures, excluding people using other architectures
> Free speech
> Users may choose to avoid Skype because they have been engaged in  
> censorship in China. Chinese users and users in certain countries may  
> fear that along with censorship, they will suffer disclosure of their  
> private conversations to other people, authorities or governments.



-- 

Spencer

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