O'Reilly Published Skype Hacks

Author Andrew Sheppard, calls Skype "...a technology that is limited only by your imagination." Though the savings of switching to Skype from your traditional phone system--like saving from free calls all over the world--can be considerable, saving money is just the beginning. For example, you can have your phone calls follow you wherever you go, and you can send free text messages from a web browser on a computer that doesn't even have Skype installed.

However, the Skype program offers very little documentation, which can make it difficult for the beginner. Skype Hacks (Sheppard, O'Reilly, $24.95 US) functions as a how-to guide and like a road map to Skype's features and benefits.

We use Skype for calling relatives on their computers in Spain and Panama for free or off-net to their home phones for just pennies a minute. It saves us a huge amount of money and the quality is usually excellent. If not, then a simple reconnection always clears it up. [Bill Fox]