# Solved: To Skype, or not to Skype



## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

What do you thnk. Is it a good idea for my partner. A few of his friends have it, and camera visit each other from different countries. We have a new Dell PC, and basically, I would like to know if it is relatively stable and many of the kinks are worked out. 
If I can get it to work for him, can it be used on a laptop, for business conferencing?

Any experience with Skype greatly appreciated.


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## bp936 (Oct 13, 2003)

for chatting in different countries, it is excellent. Video is good if you have highspeed. I don't, so I don't use it, but in the city my kids use it to see cousins all over the world and it is good and fast.


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## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

Thanks, bp....


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

Why use Skype for chatting vs Yahoo! Messenger? Yahoo! Messenger supports video and audio so I'm not sure what the lure to Skype would be.

Peace...


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## bp936 (Oct 13, 2003)

Yahoo seems to load forever before I can do anything with it. Windows Messenger seems to crash a lot. Just my opinion, I have XP SP2, so chatting might be running different on different system settings.


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## allheart55 (Jun 5, 2007)

I use Skype and I have never had any issues with it. The audio is clear and loud and the connection
has always been very stable. I find the instant messengers to be annoying as well as intrusive. They
seem to have a way of changing the settings back to start up and would always be popping up. I don't
have any instant messengers on any of my machines since I began using Skype. 

It works just as well on Vista as it does on XP. It is also much safer than using any of the IM's. If you
decide to give it a try remember to examine all of the default settings and change or disable them accordingly. 

My girlfriend and I use it frequently for computer repair when she needs a little help. It has actually come in
very handy as I have been able to send her drivers, software etc. through Skype. 

 Yes, it certainly can be used on a laptop, in fact, my girlfriend is usually on her notebook on Skype. :up:


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## bp936 (Oct 13, 2003)

I agree with allheart, other messengers are too intrusive and everything else allheart said.


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## wicked.ludicrous (Jan 5, 2009)

Yeah, Skype has good audio quality. I can't say anything about the video though. The only con about Skype was that it took me forever to figure out how to pay after the installation.


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## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

Thank yu all so much


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## allheart55 (Jun 5, 2007)

wicked.ludicrous said:


> Yeah, Skype has good audio quality. I can't say anything about the video though. The only con about Skype was that it took me forever to figure out how to pay after the installation.


What are you paying for??


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## wicked.ludicrous (Jan 5, 2009)

paying to call out of country


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## allheart55 (Jun 5, 2007)

Ahhh, now I understand. I have only used Skype for calling in the U.S.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

I've tried a number of internet phone options and of all of them, Yahoo had the best overall voice and video quality. But Skype was a close second, though Skype seems to be a CPU hog on many systems and can really slow things down.


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

Elvandil said:


> I've tried a number of internet phone options and of all of them, Yahoo had the best overall voice and video quality. But Skype was a close second, though Skype seems to be a CPU hog on many systems and can really slow things down.


Perhaps this link explains the slow down.
http://www.ghacks.net/2008/06/26/find-out-if-your-computer-acts-as-a-skype-super-node/
Instructions are there on how to prevent that.


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## twscarp (Dec 29, 2005)

Hi, I use Skype for all my USA long distance calling, everyday, to other cities in Ohio, and through out the country. With the Philips cordless phone, it's quite acceptable, works well with my laptop. Do not have incoming, or video though. Have had the service for over a year, in fact canceled my Windstream long distance option,...Tom


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Elvandil said:


> I've tried a number of internet phone options and of all of them, Yahoo had the best overall voice and video quality. But Skype was a close second, though Skype seems to be a CPU hog on many systems and can really slow things down.


I've been using Yahoo for some time, but IMO Skype beats the pants off it. Yahoo's video handling really sucks compared to Skype. Yes, Skype does use a lot of processor power, that's a minor drawback.


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