CERN Is Working To Move Further Away From Microsoft Due To License Costs Going Up By 10x

[GdeR]

You mean like Ekiga?

Can you share screens with Ekiga? I mean a true alternative.

[RahulSundaram]

Can you share screens with Ekiga? I mean a true alternative.

A true alternative isn't very meaningful with the specific list of features you are concerned about. CERN might or might not care about the functionality of sharing screens. They might care about calling international numbers or not. If you want ALL of the features provided by Skype, there is no open source equivalent and unlikely to ever be one. It doesn't make commercial sense to expect that.

[Vistaus]

A true alternative isn't very meaningful with the specific list of features you are concerned about. CERN might or might not care about the functionality of sharing screens. They might care about calling international numbers or not. If you want ALL of the features provided by Skype, there is no open source equivalent and unlikely to ever be one. It doesn't make commercial sense to expect that.

Yeah, and also, since Ekiga is FOSS, CERN could add screen sharing to Ekiga if they want to.

[starshipeleven]

I see the old Microsoft is still alive and kicking despite what their current CEO keeps trying to insist...

Seriously thou, how is an academic research institute focused on particle physics not an academic institution? Because it sounds like what they actually mean when they say "academic" is "education" and their primary reason for these discounts is essentially the same reason why drug dealers always give first time customers a discount.

Yes, that's the point.

Research facilities are not teaching young ones to love Windows so don't get a discount.

[FrankL]

A true alternative isn't very meaningful with the specific list of features you are concerned about. CERN might or might not care about the functionality of sharing screens. They might care about calling international numbers or not. If you want ALL of the features provided by Skype, there is no open source equivalent and unlikely to ever be one. It doesn't make commercial sense to expect that.

exactly, because WebEx, Zoom, Gotomeeting and Skype for Business/Lync prove that there's no market for this type of solution if implemented as OSS supplemented with contracts for dial-in/dial-out connectivity and support, and perhaps a paid-for mobile client.

Wait.. what? Why not? Sounds to me more like nobody has taken the initial effort to go all the way, but that there's definitely demand for it.

[CochainComplex]

Happened to my institute aswell .... hope the collaboration with CERN will help to adopt such NON-M$ intentions.

[GdeR]

[..] If you want ALL of the features provided by Skype, there is no open source equivalent and unlikely to ever be one. It doesn't make commercial sense to expect that.

It's one feature that researchers are using quite a lot, that's why I mentioned that. As the article says: "Among the changes happening this year are replacing Skype for Business and existing analog phone infrastructure with a software telephony solution", so I thought that is a feature that would make people not miss Skype at all.

[anarki2]

I hate to tell you, but landline telephony will never be free. Asterisk is open source, yeah, but you still won't get it free. That includes paid features and the SIP trunk, too. Not to mention the migration cost and maintenance. Asterisk has a soul, I swear. Weird magic going on every now and then, taking 2 weeks and 3 experts to figure out.

So in this case, "let's find out if there are cheaper alternatives than SfB" would be a much more senseful initiative. Currently it's "let's migrate to anything else coz we know in advance SfB is the most expensive". Idiots.

[ms178]

I'd like to see the European Commission and other public institutions follow suit in getting rid of Microsoft and promoting open source software more. Not only due to security concerns, but It would also help the European Processor Initiative.

[Termy]

I'd like to see the European Commission and other public institutions follow suit in getting rid of Microsoft and promoting open source software more. Not only due to security concerns, but It would also help the European Processor Initiative.

Nice dream - instead, enough corrupt politicians initiate migrating back to windoze -.-