Bummer! Skype was so easy to install and use on my desktop. Now, I have to refire my enthusiasm for going through the learning curve to set up a working home pbx with asterisknow, I guess. Anyone have a working 1.6 asterisk? I have the book, and lots of beginner questions. No money to hire consultant, though. :) Tom On Tue, 2011-05-10 at 08:13 -0500, Thomas Rieff wrote: > TCLUG, > It was in the news today, see article below, that Microsoft has > purchased Skype. > Being that Skype has gone to the Dark Side :-), Is there another video > conferencing alternative to Skype that could be used??? Linux based. > Server Based??? > Tom > > Reuters > > > This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order > presentation-ready copies for distribution to colleagues, clients or > customers, use the Reprints tool at the top of any article or visit: > www.reutersreprints.com. > > > Microsoft inks $8.5 billion Skype buy in Web shift > Photo > 8:55am EDT > By Nadia Damouni and Bill Rigby > > NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp plans to buy Internet phone > service Skype for $8.5 billion, a rich price as it seeks to regain > ground on growing rivals such as Google Inc. > > Microsoft's interest in the money-losing but popular service > highlights a need to gain new customers for its Windows and Office > software. Skype has 145 million users on average each month and has > gained favor among small business users. > > Skype delayed plans for an initial public offering expected to raise > $1 billion. It has been looking at other options, including tie-ups > with Facebook and Google. Such a deal was seen as valuing Skype at $3 > billion to $4 billion. > > The Luxembourg-based company, which allows people to make calls at no > charge but has also developed premium services, would give Microsoft a > foothold in the potentially lucrative video-conferencing market as > businesses shift to lower-cost ways of communicating. > > Skype could be combined with Microsoft software such as Outlook to > appeal to corporate users, while the voice and video communications > could link to Microsoft's Xbox live gaming. > > Longer-term, Skype would offer Microsoft another route to develop its > mobile presence, an area it has already put more energy and resources > into as PC usage comes under threat. > > Skype is set to become a new business division within Microsoft with > Skype Chief Executive Tony Bates in charge and reporting directly to > Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Microsoft said. > > "It's a strategic asset and a defensive move," said BGC Financial > analyst Colin Gillis. "If they can put it on Windows 8, it gives them > an advantage. It helps them in the tablet market." > > The Skype deal is the biggest in the 36-year history of the world's > largest software company. It was first reported late on Monday by tech > blog GigaOM. > > The $8.5 billion price tag was a surprise. Although the sum would not > stretch cash-rich Microsoft, some said it was high for a company whose > ownership has changed several times during its relatively short life. > > "In this atmosphere of Internet Bubble 2.0, picking up an unprofitable > online company for roughly 10 times sales probably seems downright > cheap,"" Shanghai-based Michael Clendenin, managing director of > consulting firm RedTech Advisors, said. > > "But if you consider (it) was just valued at about $2.5 billion 18 > months ago when a chunk was sold off, then $8.5 billion seems generous > and means Microsoft has a high wall to climb to prove to investors > that Skype is a necessary linchpin for the company's online and mobile > strategy," he added. > > Skype, which was formed in 2003, was bought by eBay Inc in 2005 for > $3.1 billion. Last year it had in $860 million in revenue but posted a > net loss of $7 million, according to data in its initial public > offering filing. > > In 2009, eBay sold a majority stake in Skype to an investor group > including Silver Lake, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and > Andreessen Horowitz for $1.9 billion in cash and a $125 million note. > EBay retained about a third. > > (Additional reporting by Megan Davies, Bill Rigby and Sinead Carew, > Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore, Clare Jim in Taipei and Melanie Lee in > Singapore; Tarmo Virki in Helsinki and Nicola Leske in Frankfurt; > Writing by Alexander Smith; Editing by Louise Heavens and Derek Caney) > > > © Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. Users may download and > print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and > non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson > Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly > prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. > Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks > of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world. > > Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which > requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. > > This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order > presentation-ready copies for distribution to colleagues, clients or > customers, use the Reprints tool at the top of any article or visit: > www.reutersreprints.com. > > > DCSIMG > > > Thomas Rieff > GreenCare > 1717 3rd Avenue > Mankato, MN 56001 > (507) 344-8314 Office > (507) 344-8316 Fax > (507) 381-0660 Cell > > > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list