Call via the Internet to a regular cell phone or landline phone? Easily. Contact another user on the network by establishing direct audiovisual contact? Even easier! VoIP and softphones are rapidly conquering markets around the world, and at the forefront of this “attack” is a program whose name is familiar to everyone - Skype. That's what we'll talk about today.

Before Skype, or an excursion into history

Many science fiction writers of the 19th and 20th centuries predicted that sooner or later humanity would invent a kind of videophone, thanks to which the interlocutor could not only be heard, but also seen. Some especially gifted individuals (Tesla, for example) started talking about this back at a time when even an ordinary telephone was a novelty.

In fact, humanity managed to invent such a thing sooner rather than later. Judge for yourself: just 15 years ago it was difficult to imagine that very soon we would have at our disposal compact and powerful Cell Phones, from which you can easily make a video call to anywhere in the world (there is nothing to say about the fact that from them you can also simply go online, listen to music, read, watch movies, and so on).

It is worth noting that attempts to invent a videophone as an independent device is a topic worthy of a separate story. For example, back in 1964, AT&T managed to install the first public video telephone booths in New York, Washington and Chicago. Devices bearing the name Picturephone Mod I were also installed with fanfare at the headquarters of large companies. It was planned that the innovation would be a resounding success, and then general recognition would follow. By the way, the devices used 3 pairs of telephone wires: one for audio transmission and two (with a bandwidth of 1 MHz) for video transmission in each direction. The image was updated every 2 seconds. An additional PBX was used for video switching. But the public did not appreciate all these efforts - a call from New York to Washington cost $16 for 3 minutes, and to Chicago - $27, which scared off even the most notorious geeks of that time. As a result, the booths were dismantled in 1968.

However, we digress. Our story today is not about video payphones at all, but about the idea of ​​transmitting voice and image over the Internet, which appeared almost before the invention of computer networks themselves.

As paradoxical as it may sound, before certain period Since then, telephone networks and data networks have existed independently of each other. The fact is that the technology and channels of those years simply could not cope with both at the same time. Scientists have been struggling to solve this problem since the 60s, but the first noticeable progress was made only in the 80s, when the ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) was created - a network that supported services for transmitting voice, data, video and text. But these were only the first steps, and the real results and the actual “birthday” of Voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing came already in the 90s.
The first sign to break the dam of “network silence” was the Internet Phone program, created by the Israelis from the VocalTec company. Internet Phone was released in early 1995 and, in fact, was a banal IM + softphone with which you could make voice calls to other PCs. But what seems banal now, then evoked emotions like “omigod, it's magic!!11”. And this is despite the fact that this miracle worked in half-duplex mode, that is, one-way, as when talking on a walkie-talkie ( which is not surprising - the founders of VocalTec got the idea for the program while serving in the army, looking at packet voice radio).

Neither the above, nor the fact that the quality of communication usually left much to be desired, could stand in the way of progress - in a few weeks, thousands of people downloaded Internet Phone and immediately began to actively use it. This was the go-ahead - it became obvious that the public’s interest was great, and the prospects for Internet telephony were enormous. The market was immediately flooded with all sorts of clones of the Israeli program, and by the end of 1995, DigiPhone software appeared on sale, which allowed you to listen and talk at the same time.

Meanwhile, in the area of ​​software for transmitting video over the Internet, things were also going well. In the early 90s, craftsmen from Cornell University wrote the CU-SeeMe program, originally intended for Macs, and then released for Windows. By the way, it was with the help of CU-SeeMe in 1994 during the flight of NASA's Endeavor shuttle transmitted his image to Earth.

Interest in VoIP technology, that is, in the transmission of a speech signal over the Internet or other IP networks, grew rapidly, and already in 1996, issues of standardization and the adoption of standards became ripe. The International Telecommunication Union, an international organization that sets recommendations in the field of telecommunications and radio, as well as regulating the international use of radio frequencies, adopted recommendations for the H.323 standard, which was based on almost 50 other standards. Thus, the first standard was adopted for multimedia communication using packet-based networks that do not guarantee quality of service. At the same time, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), an open international community of designers, scientists, network operators and providers, which develops Internet protocols and architecture, developed the Realtime Transport Protocol (RTP), which is used in H.323.

Further development of VoIP proceeded as follows:

• 1996 was also marked by the conclusion of an agreement between VocalTec and the giant Dialogic. The goal of their joint project was to create the first specialized telephone gateway for IP telephony, called VocalTec Telephone Gateway (VTG).
• 1997 gave the world the opportunity to make calls not only from PC to PC, but also from PC to phone and vice versa, as well as from phone to phone.
• 1999 was marked by the first specification of the open standard SIP (Session Initiation Protocols), which was developed by the guys from the IETF since 1996, and which will be discussed below. H.323 has a competitor, which, as time will tell, will very quickly deal with its predecessor.

This is how things quietly approached the new millennium, and therefore the creation of Skype.

Skype

Skype is written by European progers, namely Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu and Jaan Tallinn. These names may surprise some, because in recent years completely different people have been often called the creators of Skype - Dane Janus Friis and Swede Niklas Zennstrom. The thing is that both the first and second are true.
It is possible that the names of the three Estonian developers not only caused surprise, but also seemed vaguely familiar to some readers. If you showed up, we hasten to please you - you have an excellent memory. The fact is that in the early 2000s, these guys were developing the unforgettable P2P file-sharing network KaZaA, thanks to which they gained fame. The work on Skype, which gentlemen IT journalists unfairly credit to Friis and Zennström, respectively, happened later.

“Who are Zennström and Friis?” - you ask. Of course, it was no coincidence that they also appeared in this story - this couple was directly related to the development and development of both projects (both KaZaA and Skype), and some of their “exploits” literally overshadowed the rest of the team. However, calling them “the creators of Skype” is a gross exaggeration, since these two are primarily businessmen and investors, but not developers. We will tell you more about Friis, Zennström and their role in Skype separately below, but for now let’s return to the program itself.

Active work on Skype began in 2002 after solid investments from the Draper Investment Company, and the software was released quite quickly: the domain names Skype.com and Skype.net were registered in April, and the public saw the first beta release of the program already in August 2003. By the way, a random interesting fact - during development the program was called Skyper (short for “Sky peer-to-peer”), and only closer to completion of work it was renamed Skype, because Domain name Skyper was already busy.

So, what made Skype different from many others? similar programs, of which at that time there were a little more released than a fig? Unlike other software designed for IP telephony, Skype used and still uses a P2P architecture to operate, which is not at all surprising if you remember the track record of its creators. In fact, this is one of its main advantages: all voice traffic goes through network nodes, which are the users themselves (and the more users use the system, the better it works). Skype can also route calls through the computers of other users, which allows users behind a NAT or firewall to connect to each other (creating an increased load on the channels of other users).

By the time Skype entered the IP telephony market, almost the entire market was occupied by software and hardware operating on the basis of the SIP standard, which it’s time to talk about in more detail.

Unlike Skype's secretive protocol, SIP is completely open to developers, well designed, and easy to implement in hardware. The HTTP message protocol was taken as a model for SIP. SIP messages, like HTTP requests, are transmitted over the Internet in text form, and their formats partially coincide. This greatly simplifies the development and debugging of programs that support SIP, and quite likely contributed to the growth of its popularity. Just like Skype, SIP does not have a centralized server - there are many servers; in fact, anyone can acquire one, and they all interact with each other. The tasks of the protocol include only establishing and coordinating communication, and it is not at all necessary that this communication be voice - it can be any other data stream (video, multimedia, interactive service).

SIP is designed to work in local networks and on good Internet channels.

Skype is the exact opposite of SIP, although some evidence indicates that the Skype protocol is based on a modified SIP. Be that as it may, there are more than enough differences: Skype is a closed protocol, and due to its P2P structure, it uses forced encryption (data is encrypted using AES-256, for the transfer of the key of which, in turn, a 1024-bit RSA key is used Users' public keys are certified by the central Skype server upon login using 1536- or 2048-bit RSA certificates), and it is much better suited to extreme conditions than SIP. The phrase “I’m at the door, and he’s at the window” most accurately reflects Skype’s behavior pattern - close the usual range of UDP protocol ports for it, and it will switch to free TCP ports, and if it’s really pressed, Skype is always ready to use an HTTP proxy. Some experts argue that the only way to completely block Skype is to analyze the contents of all packets that Skype, do not forget, encrypts. More simple methods the program bypasses.

All of the above has been seriously straining the intelligence services of almost all countries of the world for many years - how can it be that something cannot be intercepted and deciphered, this is definitely a mess! However, Switzerland, Australia, Austria, Germany and Russia have already hinted that they still have solutions for listening to Skype in their arsenal.

Skype is also criticized by many security experts, and even hackers. Back in 2007, in the 100th issue ][ Chris Kaspersky devoted an extensive article to this issue entitled “Skype: hidden threat" In the article, Chris writes the following: “Skype is a black box with a multi-level encryption system, stuffed with anti-debugging techniques for the executable file, reading from the computer confidential information and transmitting it to the Network via a closed protocol. The latter bypasses firewalls and severely masks its traffic, preventing it from being blocked. All this turns Skype into an ideal carrier of viruses, worms and drones that create their own distributed networks within the Skype network.”

But Skype managed to conquer a wide audience not due to encryption and resourcefulness, but due to two very important things: simplicity and excellent sound quality.

Starting from the very first version, released in the fall of 2003, Skype supported 10 languages ​​and had the simplest possible interface, unlike other IM, which was initially designed specifically for voice communication. It also played a role that the entire procedure for installing the program and registering a new user was many times simpler than that of competitors. As for codecs, Skype uses SVOPC (16 kHz), AMR-WB (16 kHz), G.729 (8 kHz) and G.711 (ILBC and ISAC were also used previously), which provides a sufficient connection speed (30-60 Kbps) /c) allows you to get sound comparable in quality to regular telephone communication.

Having taken off right off the bat in 2003, Skype has not stopped developing for a minute. With each new version, more and more new functions and “conveniences” appeared. It makes no sense to list all these answering machines, online numbers, conferences, services for sending SMS, and so on, since the article is still not called “Skype services for dummies” :). Instead, I would like to note something else - the company was developing confidently, despite the fact that in 2005 Friis and Zennström sold their brainchild, which had already gained enormous popularity (74.7 million accounts and an average of 10.8 million users on the network), eBay for the tidy sum of several billion dead presidents. The fact that this had a negative impact on the development of Skype is clearly demonstrated by numbers and facts:

• Today there are already more than 560 million accounts on Skype;
• There are versions of Skype for almost every platform known to mankind, including mobile;
• The company provides a full range of VoIP services;
• Skype produces and sells various gadgets from headsets and webcams to full-fledged Skype backgrounds - phones that can work with both the regular telephone network and Skype.

We shared an orange, or patent trolling

Now, after covering all sorts of technological aspects of Skype, we can talk about more fun things - for dessert we have the real “scandals, intrigues, investigations”.

As promised, let's return to the personalities of Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis and take a closer look at them. Zennström is a graduate of Uppsala University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in physics. Friis, on the contrary, cannot boast of a “tower”, since at one time he dropped out of school and went to work in technical support of a local provider.
It so happened that at the very beginning of their life and career path, these two got a job at the Swedish telecommunications company Tele2, where fate brought them together in 1996.

After working side by side for several years, Zennström and Friis got along so well that already in 2000 they decided to quit and start their own business, which became the file-sharing network KaZaA. In fact, to develop it, Friis and Zennström moved to Amsterdam, hired a team of programmers, and chose to remain in management positions.

However, an incident arose with “Kaza” - before the brainchild of Friis and Zennström had time to gain momentum, active persecution began against peer-to-peer networks. Just then the legendary Napster closed, and a holy place, as you know, is never empty - all illegal content flowed to other networks, one of which was KaZaA. Copywriters immediately began to besiege our unfortunate businessmen, wanting to drown them in lawsuits, and the newly minted startups did not like this state of affairs at all. Zennström and Friis were forced to classify the location of the company's offices and literally go on the run, hiding from the subpoenas that poured in as if from a cornucopia.

When it became completely clear that the saying “time heals” does not apply to this situation, and it is only getting worse, it was decided to get rid of KaZaA. A strange deal was carried out, during which KaZaA was transferred to the Australian company Sharman Networks, registered on the Pacific island of Vanuatu. However, something was not included in this deal then, something very important - the rights and patents for the peer-to-peer technology that was used in KaZaA. These rights remained in the hands of Zennström and Friis, or rather their new company Joltid, generally registered in the British Virgin Islands.

You probably already understand that all these details are given here for a reason. The fact is that later it was this technology that was used to create Skype.

By the way, if we talk about the role of Friis and Zennsterm in the creation of Skype, then everything here was already familiar to us - hired programmers (the same Estonians who worked on KaZaA) and two inseparable startupers as the founders of the project. Although, in fairness, it should be noted here that Zennström was loyal to Skype and remained as CEO until 2007, that is, for another two years after the company was sold to eBay.

So, eBay. As mentioned above, in 2005, just two years after its creation, Skype was sold to eBay for a fabulous sum - $ 2.6 billion, plus another 1.5 billion in a few years if Skype's financial performance was good (this was the largest eBay acquisition in the entire history of the auction). Both Friis and Zennström then became billionaires overnight and, it would seem, could calmly enjoy life, start and promote other projects, invest and simply spend those same billions. But it was not there.

Having waited four long years after the deal was completed and managed to launch the startup Joost during this time, the prudent couple decided that they had enough of watching development of Skype from the outside. And the development, by the way, was obvious: the number of users grew from 53 to more than 400 million, Skype’s international traffic in 2008 amounted to a record 33 billion minutes, but all this did not bring the desired money to eBay. And since profits from Skype amounted to much more modest amounts than originally planned, in 2009 the largest auction on the planet decided to get rid of the acquisition, declaring that it intended to again spin off Skype into a separate company and put its shares on the stock exchange. This message caused Friis and Zennström to suddenly become active.

Few people initially understood why eBay bought Skype in the first place (the official statements sounded too unconvincing: “for the convenience of communication between auction users”), but only in 2009 did the full comedy of the situation reach the general public. It turned out that by acquiring Skype itself, eBay managed to leave the rights and patents for the ever-memorable key technology in the hands of its previous owners. Yes, yes, Friis and Zennström represented by Joltid. And the owners, having learned about the upcoming listing of Skype on the stock exchange, developed vigorous activity, beginning to return what they sold back. So, the New York Times, for example, leaked a rumor that former owners Skype has already squandered its billions and is now forced to communicate with private investors, trying to find the missing part of the amount to complete a “reverse” transaction.

Moreover, savvy businessmen immediately fired a “warning shot” - since eBay had been working with Joltid under a license all this time, Friis and Zennström filed a corresponding lawsuit, intending to revoke this license in the UK. To start.

Mutual blackmail and attacks on each other lasted for almost six months. During this time, eBay, as if in response to an offer from Zennström and Friis to buy out their brainchild, managed to sell 65% of Skype shares to a group of investors Andreessen Horowitz for $2 billion. Resourceful businessmen immediately sued again, this time against the new owners of Skype, accusing them of violating patents and demanding $75 million for each day of “illegal” operation of the service. The auction, which Friis and Zennström also did not leave alone (obviously, eBay still had a 35% stake!), filed a countersuit against Joltid in order to prohibit the company from using the technology underlying Skype. Realizing that they would probably not be able to win the case, eBay representatives, just in case, announced their readiness to rewrite Skype from scratch if necessary.

The end of this whole circus came quite recently, in November 2009. Surprisingly, the situation was resolved peacefully. eBay, which had previously categorically refused to pay anything to the ex-owners of Skype, eventually agreed to the deal. Zennström and Friis were not left out in the cold; they not only regained seats on the board of directors, but also snatched a 14% stake in Skype. The whole point of the situation is that they did not have to fork out money - eBay agreed to their terms in exchange for dropping claims and licensing their intellectual property.

We will, of course, never know what Zennström and Friis's original plan was, or whether it even existed. It is quite possible that they imagined “returning to Skype” a little differently, so to speak, in a more rosy light. Perhaps Joltid had the rights up his sleeve for a more opportune occasion, and eBay's decision to get rid of Skype forced things into gear. On the other hand, it may turn out that Friis and Zennström were not up to anything criminal at all, although it is very difficult to believe that the rights to the key technology remained with them “accidentally”, and the Joltid company was opened in an offshore zone by pure chance.

After the above, it would be reasonable to ask the question: “what will happen to Skype next?”, because although the division is over, it cannot be said that everything is going completely cloudless. No, no, they will try to ban the softphone in some country or sue the company (lately telecommunications and cellular operators in a number of countries, including Russia, have been very bad at Skype). However, this is connected not so much with Skype itself, but with VoIP telephony in general - in the latter, OPSoS and Co., due to paranoia, are often seen as a competitor, pest and enemy number one.

Perhaps, regarding the future of Skype, the following can be said for sure: one of the most popular and successful VoIP services, which is used by several hundred million people, cannot just disappear into oblivion, no matter what happens. And if the founding fathers of this software also include two such cunning and persistent types as Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Skype not only will not disappear, but will most likely find better ways to monetize and increase profits.

From Monday March 30, 2020, restrictions on movement around the city will be introduced in the capital. (home self-isolation) for all Moscow residents regardless of age.

The corresponding Decree number 34-UM dated March 29, 2020 was signed by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on March 29, 2020. The new document amends (adds) the previously issued Decree No. 12-UM dated 03/05/2020.

We tell you what can and cannot be done in accordance with the new Decree.

Despite the imposed self-isolation regime, in some cases it is still possible to leave the house. We list these cases below.

In what cases can you leave the house:
* In case of seeking emergency medical care.
* In case of a threat to life or health.
* In the case of going to a place of activity (work), the implementation of which is not prohibited. Previously we wrote about
* To purchase food and goods - go to the nearest store.
* In case of walking pets - at a distance of no more than 100 meters from the place of residence.
* If necessary, take out the garbage to the nearest waste accumulation site.

If you do need to leave the house, you should follow a number of rules.

How to behave on the street, in public places and public transport:
* It is necessary to maintain distance (social distancing), that is, not to approach other citizens at a distance of less than one and a half meters, with the exception of taxi rides.
* Comply with special social distancing markings in areas where they are posted.

The Decree does not apply to:
* for cases of medical provision. help.
* on the activities of law enforcement agencies and other bodies whose actions are aimed at ensuring the safety of citizens.
* for vehicle traffic.
* for citizens who have been issued special passes.
* for cases of arrival and departure from the city.

Until what date will the self-isolation regime for all residents of Moscow, introduced on March 30, 2020, last:

In the published document The end date of the general self-isolation regime is not specified, introduced from March 30, 2020.

This means that the timing of lifting the home self-isolation regime will be announced additionally after the epidemiological situation in Moscow and the region improves and the spread of coronavirus infection begins to decline.

What is Skype? What is Skype and how to use it? Skype is one of the most popular programs for communicating on the Internet. https://site/ip-telefoniya/chto-takoe-skaip https://site/@@site-logo/logo.png

What is Skype? What is Skype and how to use it?

Skype is one of the most popular programs for communicating on the Internet.

What is Skype and how to use it?

Skype(read Skype) is a simple computer program (already Russified), thanks to which you can call other Skype subscribers all over the world completely free of charge. Those. provides free encrypted voice and video communication over the Internet between computers (VoIP), as well as paid services for communication with regular and mobile subscribers telephone network. It is possible to organize a conference call (up to 25 subscribers, including the initiator), transfer text messages, files, show your desktop, as well as video communication (currently, when using a standard client - up to two subscribers, and when using third-party plug-ins their number is limited only by the channel capacity).

What is Skype? Skype offers many communication methods:

In Skype you will find many useful functions, thanks to which you will always be in touch with friends, family and colleagues, you will be able to share your thoughts and receive the information you need.

Skype can be used on both your computer and mobile phone, so you can stay connected even on the go without changing your plans. Skype works on many mobile phones and devices such as the PlayStation® Portable (PSP®). There's also a huge selection of WiFi phones and cordless phones with Skype built-in.

To get started, try sending instant messages to someone on your contact list or open a group chat where several interlocutors can communicate at once. You can set up a conference call to discuss an upcoming meeting with friends, then use the Business Review Search™ to find the perfect place to host it.

Plus, you have great video calling capabilities. All you need is a webcam, which will allow you not only to use free video calls, but also to take photographs of yourself, so that you can later use these photos on Skype.

Skype is not intended for emergency calls

Skype is not a replacement for a regular telephone and cannot be used to make emergency calls

Finding friends on Skype

If you use Microsoft Outlook®, Outlook Express®, or Yahoo! email, you can import data from these applications into notebook Skype. If your friends don't have Skype yet, you can send them an invitation to download Skype, and then you can chat for free. Don't be surprised if they send you a bouquet of flowers and chocolate: these are your grateful friends. And you deserve it.

Know other MySpace users? Convince them to download Skype or MySpaceIM from Skype. Then add them to your Skype address book, and your circle of contacts will significantly expand. Just find the name of the person you need in MySpaceIM.

Adding a new friend to your address book is easy. You can also add contacts to Skype who don't already have Skype and call them on landlines and mobile phones at low rates anywhere in the world.

If you have phone numbers stored in your Microsoft Outlook® address book, they will appear in your contacts list and you can easily dial them directly from Skype. To call landlines or mobile phones, you need Skype Credit or a monthly subscription.

How to use Skype at work?

Are you an individual entrepreneur? Or an employee of a multinational holding? No matter how small or impressive your company's staff may be, with Skype you can save time and money and, most importantly, always stay one step ahead of the competition.

Skype allows businesses to find their unique way of working, no matter what their goals are or where their employees are located.
Voice, chat, video conferencing and even calling and texting on mobile phones - you choose how best to convey information to your colleagues and clients. Whatever your company, download the business version of Skype and take the first step towards minimizing costs and increasing profitability.
And if stopping there is not part of your plans, especially for you - Skype Manager, a system centralized management using Skype throughout the enterprise.

Skype Manager simplifies and optimizes the exchange of business information. With just one simple online tool, you can connect colleagues to your network and give them access to the information you need. functionality Skype and save money at the same time with our very competitive rates.

Where does Skype work?

Skype works on the following operating systems ah Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, Windows, Windows Phone, iPhone, Windows Mobile, Google Android, PSP, Symbian.

Skype works on TV. Free video calling on big screen right in your living room - this is quite possible thanks to the latest developments from companies such as LG, Panasonic and Samsung: the latest TV models from these manufacturers are designed to work with Skype in high definition.

Where can I download Skype?

Just follow the link for your operating system:

How to pay for Skype services?

You can deposit money into your Skype account using Diners, MasterCard or Visa. Using the payment system Moneybookers Allows you to use your credit card, debit card or bank account to securely purchase Skype products. You can also pay for purchases on Skype through the system WebMoney. SkypeOut services can also be paid through Yandex money. Thanks to the company PayByCash You can pay for purchases on Skype using the payment methods used in your country, so you can do without a credit card.

When and by whom was Skype created?

The creators of Skype are Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis.

The first Skype appeared in September 2003.

In October 2005, the company was purchased by eBay for approximately $2.6 billion (an additional $500 million was later paid), although the company's annual turnover was less than $100 million. In April 2009, eBay executives announced that in the first In the middle of 2010, Skype will be sold on the stock exchange, since the activities of this company do not fit well with the online auction business.

The company's headquarters are located in Luxembourg, with branches in London, Prague, San Jose and Tallinn.

Events

2003

• Foundation of the company

2005

• The company was bought by eBay for $2.7 billion

2007

• March: Skype 3.1 released, new features added, including Skype Find and Skype Prime. Skype 3.2 beta has also become available with new features that allow you to send money via PayPal to other users.
• August: Skype 3.5 for Windows was released, now there is support for video in the profile, as well as the ability to insert video into a chat; transfer a call to another user or group; auto repeat call.
• August 15: Skype 2.7.0.49 (beta) for Mac OS.
• August 16-17: “Black Tuesday”, as a result of a failure Skype did not work for more than a day.

2008

• January 30: Skype releases a version for Sony PSP.
• March 13: Skype 2.0 for Linux is released with video conferencing support.
• July 9: Skype 4.0 Beta was released, the fourth version has a new program interface.
• September 1: Skype closes SkypeCasts.
• September 12: the unlimited Unlimited Europe tariff for $5.95 now, in addition to calls to landlines in 21 European countries, includes Russian cities - St. Petersburg and Moscow.
• December 26: Skype releases version 1.0.0 for Nokia Nst-4 in system pack v1.0.0

2009

• February 3: Skype 4.0 (Windows) released.
• March 31: Skype released a version for the Apple iPhone.
• May 12: Skype stopped supporting conferencing.
• September 1: eBay announced the sale of a 65% stake in Skype to Andreessen Horowitz investor group for $2 billion.
• November 9: Skype releases toolbar for MS Outlook

2010

• January 19: Skype - another client Russian company SPIRIT in the field of IP telephony. The quality of sound transmission has been significantly improved.
• February 19: Skype ends support for Skype Lite (Skype for Java phones) and Skype for Windows Mobile.
• April 31: Skype released a version for the Apple iPad.
• August 9: Skype files for its first share issue. The company plans to raise $100 million during the placement of shares.
• September 2: Skype adds support for offline chat messages.
• October 5: Release of a full-fledged Skype client for Android.
• October 14: Skype 5.0 (Windows) was released, the fifth version has a new program interface and the ability to make group video calls has been added.
• December 22-23: Skype crashes worldwide.
• December 23, 18:20 Moscow time: Skype has been restored.

2011

2012

In the release of the program dated January 10, 2013, integration with mail client Outlook.

On January 29, 2013, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows Live Messenger, completely switching to the development of Skype.

The February 22, 2013 version of Windows 8 added file sharing functionality, allowing users to exchange documents via instant messaging.

Released on February 27, 2013, version 3.2 for the Android platform is adapted for 7-inch tablets.

On April 7, 2014, Microsoft announced the creation of Skype TX, a special Skype-based solution for television studios and radio stations. Since April 29, 2014, group video conferencing has become free. In September 2014, support for phones running the Symbian platform was discontinued.

What is Skype technology?

Unlike many other IP telephony programs, Skype uses a P2P architecture for data transmission. The Skype user directory is distributed across the computers of Skype network users, which allows the network to easily scale to very large sizes(V this moment more than 100 million users, 10-15 million online) without expensive infrastructure of centralized servers. In addition, Skype can route calls through other users' computers. This allows users behind a NAT or firewall to connect to each other, but creates additional load on the computers and channels of users connected directly to the Internet.

The only central element for Skype is the identity server, which stores user accounts and backups their contact lists. The central server is needed only to establish communication. Once the connection is established, the computers send voice data directly to each other (if there is a direct connection between them), or through a Skype intermediary (a supernode - a computer that has an external IP address and an open TCP port for Skype). In particular, if two computers located inside the same local network, have established a Skype connection with each other, then the connection with the Internet can be interrupted, and the conversation will continue until it is terminated by the users or there is some kind of communication failure within the local network.

Thanks to the codecs used by Skype (data compression algorithms) SVOPC (16 kHz), AMR-WB (16 kHz), G.729 (8 kHz) and G.711 (ILBC and ISAC were also previously used) and with sufficient Internet connection speed ( 30-60 kbit/s) in most cases the sound quality exceeds the quality of regular telephone communication.

When establishing a connection between PCs, the data is encrypted using AES-256, which in turn uses a 1024-bit RSA key to transmit the key.

The Skype VoIP protocol is closed and is used only by the original Skype software. Using the API, third-party programs can access its functions.

There are no cases of decryption and/or interception of data on Skype officially confirmed by the developer.

For stable use of video communication, an Internet connection speed of 200 kbps is required and a processor clock frequency of 1 GHz is desirable.

What is the history of Skype?

The first versions (versions 0.97, 0.98) of the program appeared in September-October 2003. The program simultaneously supported 10 languages ​​and had a simple, logical interface, initially adapted (unlike ICQ and MS-Messenger) for voice communication. Skype chose the language itself during installation Windows localization and had login registration easier and faster than competing programs. It was the ease of installation, learning and use of the program that quickly attracted the attention of a large number of users to it. In version 1.2, an answering machine (Voicemail) appeared for the first time, and starting from 1.3, any of its owners could leave messages to other users, even if they did not use this service. 1.2 also introduced the SkypeIn feature, which allows you to link your account Skype recording with a phone number.

Starting with version 1.4, it became possible to redirect calls to other Skype accounts, as well as to regular phones.

In version 2.0, for the first time, the possibility of video communication appeared, and in 2.5 - the ability to send SMS, organize Skypecasts (this technology has been officially disabled since September 1, 2008) and integration with Microsoft Outlook.

In version 3, a service (SkypeFind) appeared that allows users to create a list of companies and give a description of them. Nowadays it is filled to a large extent with spam.

Skype 3.5, version for Nokia Nst-4 The Skype client can be installed on a compatible phone or PDA, resulting in significant cost savings due to the low tariffs of the system. However, mobile operators do not want to lose excess profits and are slowing down the process in every possible way. T-Mobile, the largest cellular provider in Germany, said it will block Skype Internet telephony traffic on iPhone smartphones. It comes to the point that the lobby mobile operators is trying to ban Skype, and at the same time ICQ, in Russia.

What are Skype services? What are paid Skype services?

SkypeOut tariffs as of March 2006 in US dollars per minute of conversation SkypeOut Allows you to make outgoing calls to landlines and mobile phones in most countries of the world. Payment is per minute, differentiated. Calls to toll free numbers(such as +1 800 in the USA) are free, and even users who have not paid for the SkypeOut service can use them. Also, through SkypeOut, incoming Skype calls are made to a phone with the Skype Lite mobile application. 180 days after the last SkypeOut call, your balance expires. SkypeIn Allows you to receive phone calls from users of traditional telephone networks. In this case, the participant receives a telephone number in one of the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, France, Great Britain, USA, Japan and Hong Kong (China). All incoming calls to this number will be sent to your Skype account, and if the account is positive, calls can be forwarded to any phone number. As a bonus to the phone number, Skype provides a free answering machine for the entire time you use the number. Skype Voicemail Free services Main article: Skypecast Screenshot Skype programs when participating in SkypecastSkypeCast (from the English Skype - VoIP and broadcasting program) - broadcasting, sometimes the abbreviated “cast” is used) - view voice communication between a group of Skype users (up to 150 people). Outwardly similar to a conference call, however, unlike it, it is installed through a central server, as a result of which it does not place high demands on bandwidth channel of the user who initiated the conversation.

What are Skype gadgets and products?

Skype produces and sells various products for the Skype program. For example, the wireless phone RTX Dualphone 3088 for calls without a computer. The phone allows you to make and receive calls both via Skype and on a regular telephone network without a computer. Skype also produces Freetalk Wireless headsets - wireless headphones with a USB transmitter for wireless communication on Skype, equipment for video calls (Freetalk Buddy Pack) and web cameras (Freetalk Connect 2).

Attempts to ban Skype

The Commission on Telecommunications and Information Technologies of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) is preparing recommendations on banning Skype in Russia. The interests of telecom operators participating in the RSPP are clear: thanks to the presence of Skype, millions of Internet users in Russia have the opportunity to bypass the existing high tariffs for international telephone communication. In addition, the initiators of the ban and the FSB claim that Skype is difficult to eavesdrop on due to its lack of connection to SORM.

In Belarus, all calls over the network must go through the state operator, and the use of other international networks, including Skype, is considered a violation of the law.

Europe's largest telecommunications company, Deutsche Telekom, said it would block Skype when people try to use it on an iPhone.

Access to Skype may be blocked by hardware. Verso Technologies and Cisco Systems have similar solutions. In particular, they are used by the largest Chinese provider China Telecom. Similarly, Skype is blocked in the UAE.

In response to attempts to ban Skype, its developers began to introduce traffic masking tools into the program to bypass VoIP blocking. In addition, Skype can work with proxy servers, VPN and Tor, which practically negates the effectiveness of its blocking.

Number of Skype users.

Year (end of year) Registered users Online users
2005 74 million 10.8 million

Comparison of Skype with other programs

	Skype	Net2Phone	MSN Messenger, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo Messenger	Other voice clients
Works with all firewalls No configuration required	V	X	X	X
Unlimited calls to other subscribers	V	V	V	Sometimes
Sound quality	Better, than by phone	Worse, than by phone	Worse, than by phone	Worse, than by phone
Security and encryption of connections	V	X	X	X
100% no ads	V	X	X	Sometimes

Communication is one of the main components of our life. The development of technology has pushed hand-written letters into the background, giving the palm to IT tools. The latter includes mobile communications and the Internet. With their help, you can communicate freely while being hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from each other. Now we don’t run to the mailbox - we rush as fast as we can to the computer when the Skype call begins to ring melodiously and loudly.

The leading communication utility

Without exaggeration, we can say that this program is a kind of symbol of freedom on the Internet. Many users of this utility are seriously interested in how Skype was created and who was its founder? There are many opinions on this issue. And most of them are false. Interestingly, many Danes and Swedes say with absolute confidence that the developers of Skype are their compatriots. However, this is not entirely true. This article talks about who actually invented Skype and how this utility gained recognition all over the world.

Estonian roots

Everyone probably knows a small, beautiful European country whose name automatically brings a smile - Estonia. For some reason, the population of the former Soviet Union associates this state exclusively with the slowness and leisureliness of its citizens. Imagine the surprise of many when the fact becomes known that the creation of Skype was the work of Estonian guys. Agree, it is incredible that this country with a slow pace of life is home to one of the fastest programs for communicating on the Internet. This fact contains a seemingly hidden hint at a completely false idea about the temperament and character of Estonians.

Origin and development of the utility

The history of Skype began in 2003. It was then, about 11 years ago, that the Estonian guys Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu and Jan Tallin developed the initial code, which was the foundation of the future program. At that time, they were also working on a utility for exchanging files between Internet users. This program is called KaZaa. Together with Estonian young people, the founders of the described file sharing service worked on this project: Dane Janus Friis and Swede Nicholas Zenstorm. In the process of labor, the not-so-slow guys designed the code, which became the basis for the future interactive program.

In parallel with how Skype was created, programmers studied the requirements and wishes of users of the World Wide Web. It became clear that people no longer have enough of a simple chat. Therefore, the team of creators decided to provide the utility with all possible functions that will facilitate not only written communication, but also video communication, as well as the exchange of various data.

Choosing a name

The initial name for the utility was the expression “Sky peer-to-peer,” which translated means “Across the sky with each other.” The team then decided on the shortened version of "Skyper". However, during the process of registering domains on the World Wide Web, it was discovered that this name was already taken on many resources. As a result, young people “threw away” the last letter “r” from the name and opted for the simple and laconic “Skype”. This process The selection of the name took several months. The final decision was made in April 2003. The result was the successful registration of domains with the names Skype.net and Skype.com.

Full version and growth in popularity

In August of the same year in open access Internet arrived official program, which had almost all the functionality planned by the developers. The so-called beta version was released online in order to obtain detailed information about errors and malfunctions. While Skype was being created, the programmers decided in the future, to the extent possible, to introduce into their “brainchild” the functions that consumers want to see. It was thanks to the beta version that the developers collected enough information about the tastes and preferences of users, which allowed them to create a fast utility equipped with various modes.

First full version became available to users in the fall of 2003. It is noteworthy that in a few months the number of users of this program has grown hundreds of thousands of times. A huge number of people thanked those talented programmers who invented Skype.

Advantages of the utility

What attracted users to this program?

For starters, it's free to use. The minimum and necessary set of functions for communication is available completely free of charge. What is noteworthy is that video communication occupies a leading position among them. For many people living hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from each other, this mode is an excellent opportunity to be closer to each other.

The second point is quick registration. In order to become a member of the large “Skype family”, just enter your mailbox address in the field, select a nickname and password. That's all. Now you can enjoy.

More this utility has a convenient and clear interface. Thanks to the well-designed toolbar, you can easily switch modes, change tabs and customize the program. The fourth point is a convenient and quick search for an interlocutor. Just go to the “Contacts” tab and click “Add contact”. We enter the name for the search and in the window that appears, select the one we need. A request to be added to your contact list will be sent at the same time.

Of course, the huge advantage of Skype over other communication programs is the presence of a large number various functions. The first and most common (like all similar and similar utilities) is the ability to send and receive simple text messages. The presence of video calls has made Skype the leading application for contacting distant interlocutors. In addition, using the program you can share various files: send photos, documents, music, videos, etc.

First problem

Two years after the release of the program, the first unpleasant event for the developers occurred. Trying to introduce the Chinese population to the new mobile version of the utility, a team of young programmers received serious resistance from local telecommunications companies. The reason for this was the fear of Asian corporations to lose control over the conquered market segments. Only a few Chinese companies made concessions and agreed to add the SkypeOut application to their mobile phones.

Sales and returns

The rapid growth in popularity attracted the attention of large companies to this program. In 2005, the developers sold their “brainchild”. The buyer was eBay, which offered $2.6 billion for the interactive utility. After some time, the corporation, known throughout the world for its online auctions and payment system PayPal paid bonus payments to the program developers, increasing the cost of Skype by 500 million. The history of the creation and modernization of the utility includes one more owner. In 2011, eBay sold the rights to the program back to the developers and their attracted investor, Microsoft. The transaction amount was $8.5 billion.

At the moment, this is the full version of the story about how much the developers still have ahead of them. Programmers face a huge number of plans. We can only look forward to new and more improved versions of the Skype interactive communication program.

Perhaps by the evening of May 10, the popular Internet resource Skype will have a new owner.

The creators of Skype are Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. The first release of the program and website appeared in September 2003. The headquarters is located in Luxembourg.

In October 2005 the company was purchased by eBay for approximately $2.6 billion (another $500 million was later paid), but already at the end of 2009. The online auction company divested itself of Skype by selling 65% of its shares to a group of investors for $1.9 billion: investment firm Silver Lake, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (owned by Netscape founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz), venture capital firm Index Ventures, and investment company of the Canadian pension fund.

eBay has previously tried to sell Skype, explaining the offer by saying that the provider is a non-core asset for the company. However, the deal never came to fruition due to disagreements with potential buyers regarding the terms of purchase and the price itself.

Initially, Skype planned to go public through an initial public offering (IPO) of shares. During the IPO, the company hoped to raise about $1 billion. On May 5, 2011, information appeared that two online giants - Facebook and Google - were showing interest in purchasing the popular Internet telephony service Skype. The two companies have independently stepped up talks about a possible joint venture with a web-based video calling service. At the same time, Facebook is also considering the possibility of acquiring Skype entirely, the source said. The estimated price of the proposed transaction was announced at approximately $4 billion.

At the same time, the deal between Facebook and Skype made more sense, since Google already has a similar service - Google Voice.

On May 10, information appears in the media about the possible purchase of the popular Internet telephony service Skype by Microsoft, while the transaction price is expected to be twice as much as competitors initially offered - about $8 billion.

IN currently Negotiations on the possibility of purchasing Skype are still ongoing, and only by the evening of Tuesday, May 10, the official outcome of the deal will become finally known.

Thus, if the deal goes through, the purchase of Skype, whose services are used by more than 660 million people around the world, will become the largest acquisition in Microsoft history.

Updated! The deal is done!

The $8.5 billion offered by Microsoft was a record amount for Skype, which was valued at a modest $2.75 billion just a year and a half ago. In this situation, the usually thrifty American corporation chose to overpay, but was guaranteed to rid itself of competitors such as Google and Facebook, who looked at things more realistically.

A joint official press release from Microsoft and Skype states that Skype will become part of the corporation as a separate division. It will be headed by current Skype CEO Tony Bates. He will report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

But the main thing that interests the multimillion-dollar Skype audience is what fate will befall the service after its transfer to a new owner. Anticipating this, Microsoft hastened to announce that it will continue to support versions of Skype for “foreign” platforms. These include both Skype clients for desktop Mac OS X and Linux, and mobile applications for operating rooms iOS systems, Android and Symbian.

Otherwise, Microsoft intends to manage the service as follows. First of all, a version of Skype will be released for Windows platforms Phone 7. It is logical to assume that the Skype client will be pre-installed on devices based on this OS - including Windows smartphones produced by Nokia, which should be released in late 2011 or early 2012. If Apple once had to develop the FaceTime video service for its computers and mobile devices literally "from scratch", then Microsoft received it, in fact, already ready.

Secondly, Steve Ballmer's company emphasized that its own online services, including Hotmail, will be integrated with Skype. Windows service Live, Lync's business-focused communications platform, and mail program Outlook.

Thirdly, Microsoft will also find applications for Skype in the field of video games. It was announced that users will be able to work with the VoIP service game console Xbox 360. The Kinect controller is also planned to be used in video chat - how, we can only guess. The company already offers gamers a service for video calls, Kinect Video, with a gesture control function. Based on Kinect Video, Microsoft plans to launch the Avatar Kinect service, where instead of users, virtual characters will appear on the screen, repeating their movements and facial expressions.

A piece of the Skype pie may fall to Facebook, which has dropped out of the race - after all, it is Microsoft that owns a 1.3 percent stake in the social network.