You're probably right, but thought I'd point it out nonetheless. I don't see Skype going away either, but stranger things have happened...

Here's an option that's free financially but is a bit convoluted and comes with no guarantee of uptime or quality of service:
- request a google voice invite
- setup a gizmo5 account
- wait 1-4 weeks for google voice invite
- setup google voice account with your cell or a land line
- configure google voice to forward calls to gizmo account
- give people your google voice phone number

Calls to your google voice number can be answered via your gizmo account on a computer or other supported device.

You can make outbound calls by initiating the call from the google voice webpage, telling it to call your gizmo account. When you pick up the call in gizmo, it then calls out to the specified land line.

I've seen claims that they will only support 30-minute gizmo-to-phone calls, but I've been in several 1-2 hour conference calls this way since I set it up.

YMMV. Besides being a bit awkward having to bounce between google voice and and gizmo to place calls, some people have just had poor luck with call quality on gizmo and/or significant time lags. Skype reliably produces better call quality in general. That said, I've had good luck so far using this method.

To cut down on phone $, we went to pay as you go cell phones and Skype. No landline. We use the cell phones if we are out, If we are at home, we ask people to let us call them back on Skype if it is going to be more than the briefest of calls. It works for us & Skype has been reliable.