Why I’m not a big Skype Fan
Recently, someone made a comment on a previous blog entry about Skype that it was wonderful. While I can appreciate that the folks at Skype have taken a lot of the guesswork out of the whole Voice-over-IP thing, I view Skype as a proprietary technology that has open-enough alternatives (i.e. SIP devices).
For example, I like the fact that I can hook up any number of SIP devices to my Asterisk PBX. I also like the fact I can configure any of these SIP devices, including the Asterisk server, to work directly with a number of providers. I can use any of my ATA or IP Phone devices to talk to just about anyone elses ATA, IP Phone, or Soft Phone through just about any provider. I am not limited to Skype-approved devices and services.
Even though I’ve said in the past that too much choice can be a bad thing, at the end of the day, flexibility to talk to anyone, anywhere, with anything is a good thing. Of course, getting it all tied together and working is another story. 
