What software is available, and how to make the calls.
If your platform supports it, Skype is probably the easiest to install and configure. Basically:
- Get yourself and the Person you Care For (PYCF) a Skype account.
- Install the software.
- Run Skype and use the wizard to configure it.
Skype has a big user base, and calls to other Skype users are free. It's now owned by Microsoft, and is not open source, so the platforms it runs on are limited.
If for whatever reason you don't want Skype, open source VOIP alternatives include Ekiga and Linphone. In theory, it's possible to make calls from one VOIP provider to another. I had varying success with this, though, and I'd recommend using the same provider at both ends.
Use VNC to initiate and answer a call.
These steps work for me.
- At your computer, VNC to the PYCF's computer.
- Start the video call software if it's not already running.
- Optionally, call the PYCF from your computer. The PYCF is not expected to answer; this step simply alerts them to an incoming call. If you see the PYCF around, and your VNC link is quick enough, answer the call at the far end, and say hello. Otherwise, the call times out, and you carry on as follows.
- Call yourself from the PYCF's computer, answer, and start to talk.
- When you've finished talking, hang up from the other end. If you hang up at your end, the PYCF might get a message saying that you've hung up.
- If resources are low, close the video call software.
- Close the VNC connection.
That's it.
Update 2013-07-09:
There's a neater way to make the call.
- At the PYCF's computer, set the video call software to auto-answer. This is a one-time task.
- Connect to the PYCF's computer over VNC, and start the video call software.
- End the VNC session, and call as normal. Using Linphone, the call is answered after one ring.
- To protect against spam, after the call, close down the video call software, for example:
- killall -9 linphone-3