---
layout: post
title: my first skype call
created: 1094782185
permalink: blog/walkah/my-first-skype-call/
tags:
- geek
- mac os x
---
<p>
so, i'm certainly not the first to post about <a href="http://www.skype.com/">skype</a>, nor the first to post about either their <a href="http://www.skype.com/download_linux.html">linux beta</a> or their recently released <a href="http://www.skype.com/download_osx.html">beta for mac os x</a>, however, i thought i'd jot down some first impressions since i finally had my first call. for those of you who have never heard of skype:
</p><blockquote>
We&#8217;ve got a simple bit of software we want to give you. It&#8217;ll let you make free phone calls to your friends all over the world. And we don&#8217;t want any money for it. It&#8217;s free.
<br />
<br />You could think of us as the big, free Internet telephony company. We prefer to think of ourselves as a big group hug, even a present. Yes&#8230; that&#8217;s it&#8230; we&#8217;re a present&#8230; but without the ribbon.
</blockquote><p>
so, since Toronto - Vancouver phone calls aren't cheap <a href="http://www.bryght.com/about/the-team/roland">roland</a> and i figured we'd give skype a shot for a discussion this afternoon (plus we were having firewall issues at some end with <a href="http://www.apple.com/ichat/">iChat AV</a>).
</p><p>
how was it you ask? i must say, i was impressed. i'm not a VoIP/Internet telephony expert by *any* means (unlike <a href="http://www.bmannconsulting.com/">some people</a>), but i found the quality to be quite good. it wasn't perfect, but given the fact that my cell reception in the basement approaches 0, it was no worse than that. plus, i have an old headset (and i don't even remember why i have it), which i just plugged into my powerbook and it made for a nice handsfree experience (also unlike my cell).
</p><p>
the interface on the osx client is good too ... it doesn't feel like a windows app turned cocoa. i may well be using skype more in the future (though, i will say - i agree with boris that there should be an <a href="http://www.bmannconsulting.com/node/1215">open source alternative</a>).
</p><p>
oh, and if you care... my skype id is 'walkah' (surprise surprise)... so <a href="callto://walkah/">call me</a> :)
</p>
