[AJ007]

If Skype is flawed, then to a certain degree so is Facebook, SMS messaging, Facetime, and the rest. Being able to sell your company for billions two times, keeping ownership of the underlying technical IP and suing the first buyer seems like a pretty shrewd business model to me.

Of course I wish everyone was using end-to-end encrypted audio, text, and video communication with onion routing in the middle. But we aren't there yet. Arguably because everyone with A-list business, marketing, and technical acumen would rather be a billionaire.

[snarkinatree]

Nothing wrong with what Skype did. He made his money. Good for him. The point is that Skype is not magic. It's something that can be replicated, with simplicity and transparency.

I agree, the greed factor is great. And one would imagine some of those with the skill to make a "Skype" might think "Why should I do this for free?" Then you also have the perfectionists, with the skills, who won't attempt to build something that cannot be "perfect". They love to say "It won't work."

Skype is not perfect. And it's very non-transparent. But people are using it.

Should the next Skype be free and open? Is it worth building? I think the answers will become evident going forward. I think communication over the internet is too important to be solely controlled by [insert unflattering description here].

But we shall see.