+++ Sam Tuke [2012-09-13 13:55 +0100]:
Hello all, this Saturday Free Software activists will determine the easiest ways of chatting using Free Software audio and video programs. We'll be testing out a variety of applications, including Pidgin, Empathy, and Kopete.
This is a great idea. Well done. I've been using VOIP (SIP hardphone plus various softphones) for my main phone for many years. I'm not sure if I will be able to join at the time suggested unfortunately.
There was a very interesting session at debconf this year about filling in the server-backend parts of this and making open-protocol VOIP popular before the network effects allow proprietary tools (like skype) to take over.
Video and slides are here: http://penta.debconf.org/dc12_schedule/events/933.en.html
There are a lot of references to useful bits of software in there. Servers which speak SIP _and_ XMPP and thus can talk to most software/services out there, directory technology, etc.
I have told Daniel Pocock (the presenter, who seems to know his stuff) about this event.
Wookey