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 Imagine that one fine day all telephone calls were charged and canceled, thanks to which you can call your friends and partners wherever and whenever you want, while your only expense will be paying your Internet bills. We are more than sure that you know both the technology that will be discussed in this article and how to use it, but we think you will not refuse to learn something new about it. So Skype: The whole world can talk for free!
Every Skype user knows that this program has plenty of advantages: firstly, almost instant dialing to the interlocutor anywhere in the world, if only you both have a suitable Internet channel at hand and both of you are online (and if your interlocutor already busy with a conversation, he will probably be able to carve out a second or two to knock out a few words on the keyboard); secondly, completely free calls within the Skype network (that is, "from computer to computer"), including calls with video chat; thirdly, this is the feeling of "blurring" of all boundaries and that very magical feeling of the world as small and whole, which cannot be bought for any money.
If you need to call ordinary landline phones with Skype, then it is convenient to use the SkypeOut function. It is paid and to work with it you need to buy "Skype-credit", similarly to how you buy cards for long-distance / international calls, only the prices for SkypeOut have a smaller spread and in some directions can be significantly lower due to cheap signal transmission via The Internet. The reverse operation - a call from a regular phone to a Skype number - is called Skypeln.
Conversation protection
Skype does not contain any banners (as well as other advertising offers), nor any undocumented functions that collect information about you or your computer and send it to its server without your knowledge. There is none of this in Skype. Are you surprised? We foresee a natural question: "How then is Skype funded, I do know for sure that free cheese is only in mousetraps?" It's simple! All calls within the Skype network are free (that is, "from computer to computer"), but SkypeOut (calls to regular phones) is available only for money. And, as practice has shown, this business scheme turned out to be quite viable, since more than a million users have already found SkypeOut interesting for themselves and are actively using it.
The next most important issue, of course, is the issue of confidentiality. Indeed, if all traffic is transmitted simply over the Internet, that is, over unprotected open networks, how can you be sure that no one will overhear you? This primary problem was prudently solved by the Skype developers at the design stage. The programmers did not reinvent the wheel and introduced the popular AES encryption protocol into the program. Skype uses 256-bit encryption, which gives 1.1x1077 possible key options that encrypt both your conversation and Skype chat - everything is securely locked! User keys are automatically certified by the Skype server when logging into the server (usually done when the program starts) using 1536-bit or 2048-bit RSA certificates. The "reciprocal part" of the key is in your interlocutor's possession, without it he would not be able to hear what you are saying to him at all.
We understand that perhaps most of the words from this paragraph may look like a Chinese letter to you, but then just trust us that your conversations in Skype are well protected, and it is absolutely impossible to intercept, let alone eavesdrop, a Skype conversation.In fact, a Skura conversation is much better protected than a regular phone conversation.
Skype technology
Now let's take a closer look at the technological features of Skype - so that you better understand how this program works and what to expect from it. It is functionally similar to ICQ in many ways. She also has servers. In ICQ this mode is optional, the priority is still given to the "subscriber-server-subscriber" mode; in Skype, everything is done exactly the opposite.
Let's say you and a dozen of your friends have a special program for downloading files over the Internet. You connect to the Internet, run this program and start looking for some file ... well, for example, color_lines.exe, which most of your friends have. Our program will independently determine who has it, which of the comrades is online at the moment and who is ready to share it with you. After that, she will start downloading this file in small "pieces" - simultaneously from everyone. At the same time, one of your friends decided to download some other file, which many people, including you, have, and your program automatically started giving him this file, also in small pieces. Absolutely all the same applies to Skype. After some consideration, you should still agree that this is a completely honest withdrawal of your money. Therefore, if your Internet connection has a traffic limitation, do not refuse to use Skype, but carefully monitor the consumption of your traffic so that you will not be "excruciatingly painful" later at the end of the month when you pay your next Internet bill.
Now that you know what Skype actually works, it's time to return to the question of the privacy of your traffic. As we have already said, all Skype traffic is encrypted using a key that only you and your subscriber have, and "pieces" of traffic can reach your interlocutor in completely unpredictable ways, therefore, raising the question of intercepting traffic is even somehow ridiculous. If you imagine an intruder intercepting the "pieces" of your conversation, what will he do with them without a key? "Breaking" with a dozen superservers before the end of the century? You yourself understand that this assumption is ridiculous.
Now let's talk about even more interesting features of the program. Starting with version 2.0, it has the ability to make video calls. Can you imagine how cool it is? Our editorial staff still remember how in 1990 they watched the fantastic film "Total Recall", there were "videophones" everywhere, and we vividly discussed the idea of using them, probably for a month after watching the film. And here it is, the future, which has already arrived, opened before us! And, as in the case of using the Skype program for dialing within the Skype network, the ability to communicate via video chat is provided to us for free!
However, in modern video chats there are still more disappointments than the "WOW-effect". Firstly, this is the lack of widespread widespread Internet channels, which is why the standard picture for video conferencing was taken as a resolution of 320x240 pixels, which was considered a "cool" year somewhere in 1994, and even then it was only suitable for games. Secondly, not all Internet backbones, through which our traffic is "pumped", fully support traffic priority control protocols, which is why the picture may freeze or slow down in places, so do not blame me! However, the day is already approaching when the provider capacity will increase, and the equipment will become "smart", thanks to which everyone will be able to enjoy not only conversations, but also video communication.
All about equipment
According to the company itself, "to make a call using Skype, you need a computer with a sound card and an Internet connection, a microphone and headphones, or a headset." Yes, that's right, but, as we all know perfectly well, the minimum requirements are not always sufficient and optimal.
Firstly, after the very first week of using the program, you will understand that the headset is still required - either because a conversation with it on Skype is more like a conversation on a regular phone and you are more familiar with it, or for privacy reasons or because for too noisy environment (by the way, there are also anti-noise headsets on the market). Next, you may find that the wireless model is best for you, which will free you from sitting in front of the monitor during Skype calls. When buying a headset, be sure to ask if there is a model specifically for Skype on sale - they usually contain a "voucher" for a small amount that you can spend on "external" calls, that is, on SkypeOut, which is a small but nice bonus.
Secondly, you will need a fast Internet connection (perhaps this is the main thing in terms of sound quality). Skype has several built-in audio compression codecs, so the program can automatically select
suitable one, adjusting to the speed of your Internet connection, which naturally affects the sound quality. The minimum acceptable speed for Skype is 128 Kbps (16 Kb / s), but at the same time during a conversation you will not be able to read news, mail and even use ICQ, as this will lead to clicks and noise in the sound. So, step by step, we told the key points of Skype technology. We hope that now you understand the essence of this popular Internet client and will soon join the ranks of fans of free long distance and international telephone communication!
alisa W
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