Communication Information Technology – Skype

937 Words2 Pages

Skype is a voice-over-IP service and instant messaging client. It was originally founded by Janus Friis from Denmark and Niklas Zenstrom from Sweden, and was first released in it’s Beta phase in August 2003. By the end of 2010, The total number of registered Skype accounts had exceeded 663 million, thus attracting the attention of software development powerhouse, Microsoft. In 2011, Microsoft bought all intellectual and naming rights to the Skype software for 8.5 billion US dollars.

Skype is an advanced peer to peer system, whose primary function is to enable its users to keep in touch with friends and family via instant message, voice and video calls. It also allows low cost calls to mobile phones and landlines, so one can keep in touch even if their friend or family member does not use skype themselves. Skype uses an adaptation of the proprietaty Voice-Over-IP protocol, called the Skype protocol. The main difference between the Skype protocol and other standard clients using Voice-Over-IP protocols is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer layout and design rather than relying solely on the client-server model for network communications.

Since it’s acquisition by Microsoft, it’s development has included the release of versions of the software that are compatible across Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 along with platforms not owned by Microsoft, including Apple’s OS X and various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Mint. It has also been developed to be compatible with Android, Blackberries and even via Samsung smart TVs. As of August 2013, Microsoft have confirmed that development for 3D calls via Skype, is underway.

Due to this revolutionary piece of software, there are many advantages to using Skype...

... middle of paper ...

...lly giving your consent to the use of cookies. A cookie is basically a text string sent by a website’s server to a client’s browser. The browser then returns the cookie to the server the next time the page is referenced.
In conclusion, Skype is a very exciting piece of software that is proving to be more and more integral in both out public and private lives. While it has a number of drawbacks, such as the previously mentioned gap and isolation it can create for the technologically incapable among older generations, it should be viewe more as a constantly devloping project rather than the finished article. Microsoft’s continued willingness to develop Skype for all modern day technologies and platforms ensure that it will continue to grow and retain it’s importance for the forseeable future, leaving knowledge of it’s layout to be a must know in modern day culture.

Open Document