Well of course he's in favor of something that's going to actually make him and his company more money, which is ultimately what they hope to do with Skype, but I'm sure he's on the hot seat with everybody else as to how they're going to actually make that happen without destroying the expensive toy they just bought.
Still no solid stance on what they're going to do with the Linux version (you KNOW they'll keep developing for Mac...).
Common sentiment is that many Linux folk are planning a mass exodus, but so far the destinations are scattershot (typical of such as often fragmented community... *sigh*), with all alternatives being on average poorer than Skype's offerings.
Solutions featuring the
SIPw protocol are being talked about quite a bit, but from what I hear it's actually not the greatest for video transmission, so what next?
If I could wave a magic wand and influence the right people, I'd make sure Microsoft opens the API enough to allow third party applications to hook into the network, as long as you are a registered user, of course.
Then, third party developers who are already developing VoIP and Video Chat clients (Ekiga, Qutecom, Linphone, etc...) could support the Skype protocol and relieve MS of the burden of developing a client.
Naturally, MS would probably steer users to signing up for a Live account or some such for access to it, which some may balk at, but hey "Ya pay's yer money, an' ya takes yer cherce".
Or, alternately, support for connecting to SIP networks with Skype would be nice.
My 2 cents and a daydream or two...
