So, Microsoft have paid $8.5 billion for Skype. Call me sceptical, but I somehow think that Skype will now go downhill. Al.:england: P.S. I wonder if Microsoft realised they could download it for free!!
Skype just signed a deal with Facebook giving skype access to millions of Facebook users who want to video chat, this then gave them access to billions in future revenue from adverts alone. Microsoft has a cushy deal with Facebook where they help each other out on stuff, Facebook has not gotten into the search engine market because of a deal with Microsoft concerning Bing. And any maps showing in Facebook are not Google maps, but Bing maps! They share ad revenue which is pretty much the bulk of their income on Facebook, and in return Microsoft engineers helps Facebook with a few things. Although, some are suggesting Microsoft is still planning to get in on the social networking thing without Facebook, which could end all of these deals.... We shall see how this all pans out.
The odd thing is that Microsoft already have VOIP software. Only thing I've noticed so far is that useful new stuff like group video conferencing is not free but is now a paid for feature, no real reason for this because they don't have to provide infrastructure for this in a Peer to Peer network, it is just a feature of the Skype software client program. Also can anyone tell me if they get adverts in Skype, I have a subscription that gives me free voice calls to landlines anywhere in the UK and I am not sure if that is turning off adverts for me. Thing is I don't remember ever seeing adverts popup in Skype even before I got the subscription 4 years ago. They don't do the particular subscription that I have any more it is only 1.50 a month but they let existing subscribers keep on using it after they withdrew it.
If you use Kaspersky with a the ad removal box ticked then I think it kills Skype adverts. I know it removes them from Yahoo Messenger - or at least it did...
