Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

[The Liquidator]

Looks like Microsoft will be buying Skype

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...659388852.html

[ScottyK]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

and watch support for Linux vaporize..

[kapil]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

seriously.. there isn't a single app which will do what skype does. (i am considering the number of ppl using skype)
luckily i have a android.. fring it is

[verndog]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

This may be the worse opensource news I've read to date.
I wonder even if free skype calls are now in jeopardy. MS does nothing for free.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

well,

They could insert a recording before each call:

instead of push one for spanish and 2 for english they could have a robotic microsithish recording saying push 1 for an advert about MS office, 2 for an advert for MS access and then talk or wait a half an hour and then talk! Micirosith is all about choice.

woodwonderingifagamecompanycouldcomeupwithaversion smoke

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

It is reason for concern. Ballmer is being very tricky in his wording when asked about "other platforms":

16.42: Question about Skype on Android, iOS and other non-Microsoft platforms. How can Microsoft reassure them this multi-platform approach will continue?

Steve Ballmer: “I said it and I mean it – we will continue to support non-Microsoft platforms because it is fundamental to communication.” He also references Office for Mac. “We have a track record of understanding the need to support our customers as they travel in various places…. We love Windows and Windows Phone and Xbox…. but fundamental to the value proposition of communications is being able to reach everybody… That will be one of our competitive advantages.”

Notice that he does not mention Linux. His "non-Microsoft platforms" is in the context of "communication", i.e., smartphones. So, it appears that Skype for iOS and Android will continue, but a binary for PCs running Linux? Not a word.

Skype uses its own SIP servers, using YOUR computer's RAM and bandwidth as nodes to enhance its capacity and speed, so if Microsoft blocks access to those servers based on the OS then using Skype on Linux is history.

I have used Ekiga before and I can return to it again. BUT, and it is a BIG BUT, only Skype has "share your screen", which I use to support Linux users remotely. Ekiga does not have that. Neither does Google Talk or Video. I could get my distant users to install NX client, node and server and run their computers remotely, which would be better than using voice to direct their mouse as they move it around the screen. One advantage of Ekiga is that you can set up a SIP server on your own internet server, or on any box that you allow remote access to, even though ekiga.net is a public server. Two or more people can be very private and use minimal resources connecting via their own server.

Time to re-examine the field and see if any new Linux clients to VOIP, or web based VOIP is available.

[Telengard]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

As I am not a Skype user I should state up front that I've never understood the attraction to Skype over other IM clients. Video and voice support are not new ideas, and other clients do support them.

OTOH, I really do feel something for those who have come to depend on it. It is sad and surprising, although I don't know why anyone should be surprised that the behemoth would yet again assimilate a highly successful platform from third party developers.

IMHO this is a great opportunity for the Linux community to invest in a true Free Software solution.

[Qqmike]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Well, what do ya know. People all around the globe--in some of the most underdeveloped countries--are using Skype as an important means to communicate with each other, friends and families, voice + video. Lots of "pressure" on everyone to be "Skype-ready." It's my main motivation right now to upgrade my OS (from 8.04.3 to at least 10.04). There ya go, huh? As GG says, yet another research project on the TODO to tend to asap.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

A url which lists various kinds of open source VOIP and video conference is here.

SIP Clients (UA's)
Linux clients:

* Baresip Portable SIP useragent with Video support

* Cockatoo

* Ekiga || SIP, H.323 audio and video softphone for various linux, solaris, windows, and
various unix systems. Formerly GnomeMeeting

* FreeSWITCH: Console client for SIP, IAX2, Woomera and Jingle/Google Talk

* Jitsi (formerly SIP Communicator) Audio/Video phone and messenger with end-to-end encryption
through ZRTP - Multiplatform - Open Source (also supports XMPP, MSN, AIM, Yahoo!
and others).

* Kphone

* Homer - live conferencing and more: decentralized/centralized working SIP-based video
conferencing tool

* Linphone audio and video SIP softphone for Linux and Windows XP

* minisip cross-platform SIP softphone, Linux, Windows XP and soon Windows Mobile 2003 SE

* MjUA: simple cross-platform SIP softphone, written in java, based on MjSip stack

* Open IP Phone Business IP Phone sdk support, ims compliant, good interoperability.

* OpenSIPStack MPL licensed SIP stack with ENUM, Presence (XMPP/SIMPLE) and NAT traversal.
Reference implementation of Session Border Controller (OpenSBC) available.

* OpenSoftphone: A simple Java based SIP softphone using the PjSip-jni wrapper.

* OpenZoep: GPL telephone and IM messaging client engine

* Peers Minimalist SIP softphone written in java (tested on linux and windows)

* PhoneGaim

* PJSUA: Command line SIP UA with SIMPLE, IM, call transfer, RTCP/RTCP, etc.

* QuteCom ex-OpenWengo: a fully SIP compliant multiplatform softphone with many features

* SFLphone, open-source multiplatform multi-protocol VoIP client

* Shtoom: SIP softphone in Python, runs on Windows, Mac, Linux

* SipToSis from mhspot.com Skype SIP UA - Multiplatform - Open Source

* sipXezPhone ("sipX easy phone") from SIPfoundry based on sipXtapi

* sipXphone from SIPfoundry, previously known as the Pingtel phone

* Twinkle

* YateClient is multiprotocol and multiplatform softphone with H.323, SIP, Jingle and IAX support.

* YeaPhone: A SIP softphone for the Yealink USB-P1K handset based on the libLinphone backend

* CRM Integration Client Open Source program writen on java. based on MJ SIP and
SIP-Communicator for Call-Centers solutions

I've used Ekiga before, but when I downloaded it a few minutes ago it had added a significant amount of additional downloads, like evolution, for example

I also installed QuteCom, KPhone and Twinkle, to see how they work. I didn't see anything except Ekiga which could offer video conferencing as well, and nothing to offer sharing of the desktop.

I looked at all the web based video conferencing listed under that Wikipedia page but only one was open sourced. All I want to do is make direct connection video conferencing. OpenMeeting does that, but it also requires installing a database so that it can do all of the other groupwise functions it has been programmed to do. Over kill.

Right now I am still leaning toward putting in NX software on my supportees Kubuntu systems.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Hey, I ran across this opens source GPL VOIP & Video with screen sharing application called Blink, which can be downloaded from here. The screenshots are here.

A video demo is here.

Blink has astounding conference call capabilities!

How to install:
Debian and Ubuntu Linux

Install AG Projects software signing key:
wget http://download.ag-projects.com/agp-debian-gpg.key
sudo apt-key add agp-debian-gpg.key

Add the following lines to /etc/apt/sources.list:

For Karmic
# AG Projects software
deb http://ag-projects.com/ubuntu karmic main
deb-src http://ag-projects.com/ubuntu karmic main

For Lucid
# AG Projects software
deb http://ag-projects.com/ubuntu lucid main
deb-src http://ag-projects.com/ubuntu lucid main

For Maverick
# AG Projects software
deb http://ag-projects.com/ubuntu lucid main
deb-src http://ag-projects.com/ubuntu lucid main

To install or upgrade Blink software package:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install blink

[Telengard]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Hey, I ran across this opens source GPL VOIP & Video with screen sharing application called Blink, which can be downloaded from here. The screenshots are here.

That does look very impressive. The only thing I didn't see in the features is encryption.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

The option to use sRTP encryption is in the account settings, on the media tab.

I just put $20 bucks into my account because Blinks charges for VIOP to cell or landline are about the same as Skypes, less than 3 cents per minute. Blink plans to add video in the future. They already have space for it in the settings dialog. All they have to do now is add the video codec.

My Blink sip address is: greygeek@sip2sip.info

EDIT:
My Ekiga sip address is: GreyGeek@ekiga.net

[PhilT]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Hi GG. I only use Skype occasionally to reach a couple of die-hard Windows users in the USA. Would any of the resources you have mentioned talk to their Skype boxes? Or should I be forced to use Skype in an XP box running in Virtualbox under Natty?

[PhilT]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Hi GG (again!)

Tried to install blink as per instructions; got the following failure output.

Any suggestions?

philip@Philip-Desktop:~$ sudo apt-get install blink
[sudo] password for philip:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies.
blink : Depends: python-eventlet-0.8 but it is not going to be installed
Depends: python-sipsimple (>= 0.17.1) but it is not going to be installed
E: Broken packages
philip@Philip-Desktop:~$

[arochester]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

I think, Phil, that blink is a SIP-only client. It's OK if that's all you want to use.

A bit better than that is Jitsi - http://www.jitsi.org/index.php/Main/HomePage
(formerly known as Sip-Communicator) or QuteCom (formerly known as Wengophone) . They work with SIP, Yahoo, MSN, GoogleTalk, Aim, ICQ, Jabber etc. ---so they can replace IMs as well.

What remains a puzzle to me is that I can see and talk to GoogleTalk users online, but, can I do the same if the other person just has an XMPP/Jabber account?