Longtime users of Ubuntu Linux may already be familiar with open source Ekiga, which used to be the default Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) client in that popular Linux distribution, but late last month the telephony software got a major update.

Arriving some three years after the previous release, Ekiga 4.0—also known as "The Victory Release"—is now available, offering a fresh new Skype alternative for users of Linux and Windows alike.

“This is a major release with many major improvements,” wrote the software's developers in the announcement last week on the project site.

Here's a rundown of some of the highlights.