[Serusers] dead SIP service providers

[Greger V. Teigre]

> The following two sites appear to be SIP service providers:
> www.freeworlddialup.com/

Free World Dialup is Jeff Pulver's free service and definitely alive and 
kicking...

> voip.brujula.net/english/messenger-howto.html

I don't know them well enough to know.

> Freeworlddialup provides a simple tool to evaluate your
> internet connection before trying their service.
> The tool consistently claims that my port 5060 is blocked,
> even though I am directly connected to my cable modem
> and have all firewalls turned off.  It seems like this
> false result could be caused by an attempt establish
> a 5060 connection to a non-existant voip server,
> again supporting my theory that their server has been
> shut down.  Does this theory make sense?

As they are alive: No.

> Also, both providers say that they work with
> Windows Messenger 4.6 and 4.7 but not with 5.1.
> Did Microsoft commit some crime in version 5.1
> to make it incompatible
> with third party SIP service providers?

I wouldn't say incompatible, they don't just allow third party SIP provider 
accounts as they did in <5.0.  I'm not sure what kind of crime you believe 
may be commited, it's probably the well-known "it makes strategic business 
sense"-crime.
g-)