Step-by-step guide to Skype

Slate has a step-by-step guide to using Skype, the cheapest and easiest way to make a phone call. I don't use Skype but after reading this, maybe it's about time I start skyping. Hmmm, now who should I call? From Slate:

Skype is an Internet app—it works by streaming your calls over the network on a peer-to-peer protocol. (The software's inventors are peer-to-peer devotees, having developed the file-sharing program Kazaa and the TV-streaming app Joost using the same principles.) But Skype's magic is that it connects to the phone system, too, letting you talk to people who have no interest in any of this computer mumbo jumbo.

Calling people's phones isn't free: To get started, you've got to give Skype your credit card number (or your PayPal account). Then type in the phone number and press Call. You can pay for your Skype calls on a per-call basis or through a subscription. Skype's pay-as-you-go rates are very good. You can talk to most people in Asia, Europe, and North and South America for about 2 cents a minute.