Comments on: Welcome to School Library Journal readers!

By: Frances Jacobson Harris

Frances Jacobson Harris — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:48:44 +0000

Great article, Carolyn! Here’s another wrinkle for you. My mothership institution, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, prohibits the use of Skype on any University-owned computer due to security-related concerns. Skype apparently leaves computers vulnerable to hostile external takeover and misuse. This concern, though, hasn’t stopped me from using it at home from time to time. The idea is great and its time has definitely come. Fingers crossed for a good open source product and better security.

By: Peter Rock

Peter Rock — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:39:41 +0000

When I say "non-free" I mean proprietary. That is, it is not free software.

By: futura

futura — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:02:21 +0000

Peter,

Skype is a free download and is free to use for computer to computer calls and conversations, whether local or global.

They do charge a minimal fee if calling landlines or cell lines. I’ve used it quite a bit for overseas conversations with other educators and it’s been a great avenue for that.

I’ll check out Ekiga–I’m not familiar with it.

Always good to learn about new tools…

By: Peter Rock

Peter Rock — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:12:06 +0000

“One of the best things about using Skype is it brings you and your students closer to a global community.”

Unfortuantely, Skype is non-free software which means that in an important way, Skype actually negates community through the EULA and non-disclosure agreements.

Though I’m not personally familiar with free alternatives, I’ve heard they exist. I think Ekiga is one.