Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

[kjjjjshab]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

...And trusting Skype and its closed peer-to-peer method IS trustworthy?...

Reminds me of the closed Dropbox fiasco where they first said that they literally had no possible way of reading your data, only to (a couple years later) say, well, with a court order we can read your data...

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Skype took advantage of Linux by installing "Supernodes" on Linux boxes with fast connections and lots of RAM. "Supernodes" were designed to offload sip server traffic from Skypes servers, except that the Windows version of Skype had a setting which could disable "Supernode" formation on that OS. The Linux version of Skype had no such option. To free up your RAM and band width you have to reboot.

Ekiga and Blink doesn't do that.

[claydoh]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

But who uses Blink or Ekiga? it's bad enough I cannot very easily do voice chat via yahoo or some other service that people (wrongly or rightly) have chosen to be tied to. Am I supposed to convince dozens, maybe hundreds of people switch from their known (and yes comfortable) chat platforms simply because I can't talk to them? I just hope more will move to google chat, and do so much faster.

Just for Me




sorry I ranted a bit, I have been struggling with this issue myself lately.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

I just convince my friends and relatives. It's easy when they depend on me for free support.
I don't treat SIP like a phone unless I use it to make phone calls. For VOIP I only turn it on when I am contacted by email and an appointment is made.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

MORE NEWS!

As you know, Phoronix reported that the Skype protocol was reverse engineered. The person who did it posted his notice here.

Skype contacted Phoronix and said that they will:

This unauthorized use of our application for malicious activities like spamming/phishing infringes on Skype's intellectual property. We are taking all necessary steps to prevent/defeat nefarious attempts to subvert Skype's experience. Skype takes its users' safety and security seriously and we work tirelessly to ensure each individual has the best possible experience

As you can see, the tactic they are taking to thwart the reverse engineering is to claim it is a "malicious" activity that supports spamming and phishing. This, of course, is patent nonsense. As a frequent Skype user I have occasionally encountered individuals who want to make a connection and request contained a spam message. In fact, there is less likelihood of spam generation from an Open Source protocol than from a proprietary (secret) one, as the Windows experience has taught us MILLIONS of times.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Just as an off the wall question.

What kind of app do the games that have voice interaction, like in a war game, use?

woodsmoke

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

In approximate order of their popularity, or so I've read...

1. Ventrilo
2. Teamspeak
3. Skype (Normally - not good with 25 people connected)
4. Skype (w/ S4PG)
5. Xfire
6. Roger Wilco
7. Mumble
8. Dolby Axon (a new one)

Some have their own internal VOIP and chat channels. For many people there is just too much screaming and shouting, plus a lot of the usual insults and personal attacks, but some mmorpg games require, or at least the owners do, that the players keep in contact with VOIP. Imagine having 25 people simultaneously shouting at each other! Especially at intense moments of combats


I did a lot of Samurai role playing and fighting on SecondLife, then I switched to Mech Warriors. Both of them were into chat channel but they didn't use SecondLife's voice when voice was used. IIRC, they used Ventrillo (but I preferred to stay with chat).

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Skype bloodletting doesn't bode well for fans of Internet phone service

I'm not sure whether this sleazy move was driven by Silver Lake, Microsoft or both, but it serves as a sobering reminder (as if we need one) that, in the corporate world, loyalty is a one-way street and promises essentially are meaningless.

Skype Journal analyzes the possible motivations behind the dismissals and seems to conclude that, at least timing-wise, it's all about the investors (Silver Lake) not wanting to share in the payout.

That sounds reasonable to me. Beyond that, though, the firing of Dean (head of consumer market business development), Gurle (Skype for Business), Shaw (who developed Skype's relationships with mobile operators), Albert (head of advertising in the Americas) and Bewsher (chief marketing officer) has to make you wonder about the future of Skype in the hands of Microsoft.

The software giant says it intends to hook Skype into several of its existing products, including Outlook email, smartphones (presumably WP7) and Xbox. But what about Skype's core business, offering free Internet voice and video service to consumers?

As one of Skype's 170 million users, I'm not optimistic. Nor should you be.

Fortunately, we have several excellent options to replace Skype with.

Never underestimating the greed of corporations, I suspect that the next move of Microsoft, or its proxy, will be to sue the free versions of VOIP using some bogus "IP" claim.

[arochester]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

For very simple, two way, video and sound communication try http://ubiqq.com/

No registration. Just IM a URL to the recipient...

[GreyGeek]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Nice link!

Didn't see a text chat, and it unlike FaceFLow it doesn't "appear" to support more than a one-on-one.

[MoonRise]

Re: Bye Bye Skype for Linux?

Never underestimating the greed of corporations, I suspect that the next move of Microsoft, or its proxy, will be to sue the free versions of VOIP using some bogus "IP" claim.

I believe you are right! Oracle is doing it with JAVA.

[woodsmoke]

Skype "alike" into Chrome

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20...e-into-chrome/

[tek_heretik]

I dumped Skype the second Microslop bought it. Thanks for the Blink link, GreyGeek, no rhyme intended, lol.

[GreyGeek]

I dumped Skype the second Microslop bought it. Thanks for the Blink link, GreyGeek, no rhyme intended, lol.

I checked last week. Blink does not have a *.deb package for Precise yet. Also, on Linux, they have not activated video or screen sharing.

However, a neat app has appeared that is free for personal use. It is called TeamView and is an app to to chatting, voice and remote control of screens, including mouse and keyboard. (The commercial version may include video, I haven't checked.) But, one can transfer files and at the click of a button the remote controlled computer can become the controlling computer. Very slick.

For video & voice over the Internet I use Google Hangout. Up to ten users can see and talk to each other simultaneously, they can watch the same video or browse the web together, seeing the same pages, while talking, and there is talk by Google that screen sharing will be added. I also use Google Phone and can call any land line in the world.

[Snowhog]

Skype on Linux works. I don't care (at this point) if it is owned by M$.