SkypeJournal speaks about the JoltID conflict. The post has lot a lot of good analysis of the legal battle and I encourage you to read the original post.
Phil also suggests it’s an opportunity for a new P2P core for Skype, listing a number of possible improvements. I second that list, but let me also add a few things I’d like to see in a new Skype P2P core:
- Published protocol specs, whether a open-standard or proprietary protocol, supporting network-layer interoperability (whether free or licensed).
- Less obfuscation, especially in terms of security.
- Ideally, open-source or or at least published peer-reviewed source.
Frankly, having the original founders of Skype out of the picture is probably ultimately a good thing for the Skype community and the Internet at large. It’s unbelievable that Ebay made a multi-billion dollar deal and still didn’t obtain control of the technology. I expect that will go down in textbooks some day as one of the dumbest (or smartest, depending on which side of the table you sat on) negotiations of all time.
