James SilverWolf† 1 Report post Posted January 12, 2015 Apparently, information has come up depicting just how insecure Skype really is, especially when it comes to the devil-serving NSA: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/12/newly-published-nsa-documents-show-agency-could-grab-all-skype-traffic/ Given this, I figured it would be a good idea to post this as I know many of you use that microsoft spyware stuff, and that you should know what all is likely being filched from you without your knowledge. Be aware that there are alternatives to Skype, if you need to use voice or video chat, if you just use IMs or chat rooms you can make an account someplace with such features (like AIM or yahoo) and you can use the Pidgin IM client to connect to those. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flechmen 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2015 Is AIM even around still? Pretty sure Yahoo is even worse about the Spyware nonsense (just try installing their software without getting something unwanted along with it...). Steam's chat works fairly well and of course you have our IRC system. There are several other systems, but they're all going to have weaknesses. I found C3 by accident and it looks promising, and BitTorrent has their own service called Bleep. But there's several lists of alternatives.. its just a matter of what can you convince your friends to use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperKuddlor† 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2015 Good thing I found this. I knew about NSA, but I didn't mind it. Long list of alternatives short, can you tell me what kind of service can be used via an Android app, PC USB stick portably for Windows, have groups, chat logs and messages waiting for you until you log in, video calls, audio calls? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flechmen 0 Report post Posted January 14, 2015 IRC does all but the last two. Not sure otherwise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperKuddlor† 0 Report post Posted January 14, 2015 Aww that sucks! Please try to find it for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James SilverWolf† 1 Report post Posted January 14, 2015 Indeed AIM still does exist, my old SN still works as does the BL for it, so I must conclude it is still functional, and yahoo still works, but I did away with their messenger stuff, this is why Pidgin is so nice, it can handle the various accounts and interactions and with none of the proprietary (and likely subversive) "official clients". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperKuddlor† 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2015 Does Pidgin have voice and video? And does AIM too? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flechmen 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2015 Pidgin is just a 3rd party client for various chat providers, it probably does not support voice and video even for services that do support it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James SilverWolf† 1 Report post Posted January 17, 2015 Adair is indeed right, Pidgin doesn't do voice or video (which is part of why I like it.) However I should note, I consider text superior to voice and video... haha. It is almost impossible to mine biological data from text, you know. ;x I have heard about other voice clients, things like voxox etc. (try looking around: http://alternativeto.net/software/skype and http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/fed-up-with-skype-here-are-6-of-the-best-free-alternatives/ ) but as with all programs, talk to other people that have used the stuff beforehand, and even then scan the installer file for viruses (uploading it to virustotal.com will scan the sucker with a number of antivirus scanners, and show you the results). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas, Maltuin 1 Report post Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) I am not entirely sure if he is joking but I think Mr. Fox would prefer to be known as something other than Adair at present. Although I agree that these securities are important, text also makes more room for deception in the sense of implied versus literal meaning. In study it is accepted that the words we say make up less than half of the information we communicate, facial/bodily language are another part (video) and tone of voice (audio/voice) rhetoric is something that requires assumption or verbal cues, do text literary elements such as this, sarcasm, and sardonic is sometimes mistranslated or misunderstood. Also text makes it easier to hide ones gender. Although personal information, it could have an influence on topics you feel comfortable discussing with certain individuals. I don't mean to imply anything here but I do wish to state that the way I see it, all three forms of communication are important and somewhat necessary in their respective roles. I respect your decision not to chat outside text based communication, but without voice I can never get to know or trust you the way I could if I could better verify the validity of who you claim to be. [emoji4] pros and cons Edited January 17, 2015 by Thomas Maltuin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperKuddlor† 0 Report post Posted January 17, 2015 Eye contact and the voice tone is very important to me. Also, from voice, you can say things faster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas, Maltuin 1 Report post Posted January 17, 2015 Agreed but just to make sure I'm clear, programs such as irc or even the good old mail are still very important too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
