While Jaiku really is my primary tool lately for following what friends and colleagues are doing, I also user Facebook. This caught my eye this morning.

Jim Courtney is contemplaing all the evidence that Skype is more relevant than ever. 6 hours ago

I recently posed a question about Skype's relevance, and Jim not only provided a thoughtful and valuable response, he's really taken my question to heart and touched on relevance frequently since then. This Facebook update was my clue that Jim would be posting something new. Never one to disappoint, here's the next thing I saw from Jim.

Why You Need to Upgrade to Skype for Windows 3.2

As mentioned in a previous post during the April/May beta period for Skype 3.2, Skype has introduced some new sound engine technology into the Skype for Windows client. As one example discussed in the post reference above, its echo cancellation feature allows you to make Skype calls using a laptop's inherent mic and speakers without a headset. It involves, amongst other features:

• Skype's own audio codec
• Skype improved conference mixer
• Skype Jitter Buffer and concealment
• Skype audio preprocessing components.

[Read Jim's Full Post on Skype Journal]

I confess, I'm biased. I was once a big Skype fan, but that tide has turned. I'm trying to understand why. Because Jim says we need to upgrade, yet I feel compelled to uninstall, write off my SkypeIn phone number, and abandon the SkypeOut credit and premium plan I paid for.

Jim's one of the few people who can write about Skype and make me wonder if I'm just being a pig-headed contrarian about this.

To the bullet points, the last three don't do a thing for me, but the first one drove the uninstall knee-jerk. Rather than continue with the stellar GIPS codec that's become the de facto standard for every leading edge VoIP solution, Skype opted to go create their own. Close the architecture even more, abandon openness and standards further. Raise the garden wall a bit higher.

There's been a lot of talk about Skype becoming a telco. Having working in the telecommunications industry for many years, in the old world of the Bell System, it's deeper than that. Skype isnt' just becoming a telco. They're a telco with a 1978 mentality. They keep evolving in ways the old Bell System did before divestiture ripped it apart. (Aside: That may not have had any real long-term effect since it's effectively been rebuilt.)

Skype upgrades irritate me to know end. Skype has a history of screwing over their third-party developer friends. Today I use Skype rarely and for one solitary purpose. I use it to sometimes record podcast chats. Since Skype doesn't have built in recording functionality, I use a third-party program called HotRecorder. I have other progams that can also record Skype calls, but HotRecorder is the cheap and easy one.

Every time I upgrade Skype, HotRecorder fails and I have to downgrade and wait until Skype lets the third-parties catch up. Upgrading Skype is a complete pain in te butt because it breaks my work flow.

I can easily record via other VoIP clients. Gizmo does it well. I can easily record on the PSTN. I can easily record with Grand Central.

Historically, Skype-to-Skype calls have been pretty good quality for recording, but every time I do SkypeIn or SkyeOut there are problems. Every time. I can't trust the quality. I have to expect poor quality when connecting to the PSTN.

I reviewed my Skype contact list and realized that I have two or more other means of talking with every single person on my list. Some of them have as many as six other contact methods. I looked at my Skype history tab, and the last activity was voice mail from Jim on June 6th.

I've written several times about the security aspect of Skype and the peer-to-peer concerns in enterprise business. I live in the enterprise world as well as the small, solo analsyt world. From an enterprise perspective, I still don't know anyone in a major enterprise who thinks Skype on the corporate network is a good thing. Most have found ways to block it and forbid it by policy.

And while the Skype team mouth the words, they are a closed garden, ignoring open standards and protocols. They don't really want to win enterprise business. They want to pester and annoy with fear, uncertainty and doubt (some call that the FUD factor;others call it bullshit), until they just wear everyone's resistance down and people grow too weary to care any more.

Skype lost relevance to me as an enterprise architect long ago. It really never had relevance. It lost relevance as a security analyst by sticking to closed, proprietary methods. It's P2P nature continues to raise concerns.

It lost relevance to me as an independent analyst by distrupting my work flow, providing unpredictable quality of service, and by becoming a walled garden telco.

I'll keep following Skype. I'll continue to talk to my friends in place like Actiontec. I'll follow Jim as closely as I always have. And if there's a reason, I may come back. But for now, the SkypeMe button just dropped of my web site and Skype's gone from my computer.

Skype may be relevant, but it sure isn't to me.


Technorati Tags: Skype, relevance, VoIP, security, P2P, walled gardens