What's skype thinking?? Making the window full screen is just not gonna work, it occupies way too much desktop space. If the user want more space, he/she can simply resize the window, why place such a constraint on users?? Besides, This whole thing just makes it more difficult to navigate! text space became way smaller and odd. To sum it up, skype should slim down from previous version, and not get more obese. As it is, with the old version (3.8x) the text window forces the user to reserve a chunk of window space so that it skype can display the little icon, non-sense!

sbskyuser was right, I came here to say exactly that. Even when you cut it down to as small as it will go its massive(roughly 800px 560px) OK so it looks pretty nice but what on earth were you thinking?

Would it be to great a request to have a smaller UI? Maybe a minimal setting, seems ridiculas there isn't one already.

Let the User decide what they want, yeah you can have big default but let the power users define what they want

This post has been edited by tobstar: Wed Jun 18 2008, 09:54

Thanks for your feedback.

You know there is possibility to detach windows from the mainform with using the button on top of the window or shortcut key ctrl+w.

Also you do not need to use it on fullscreen on nowadays high resolution displayes. I'll occupie about half of the screen with it and for multitasking I always detach the conservation window.

On the other hand, it's currently a first public beta version and we are working hard to make it a great product for all kind of users starting from the very novice and ending up with extreme power users.

We appreciate your thoughts about the need for possibility to have a smaller scale user interface.

How you would like to see the smaller scale user interface to be done?
What annoys you on the current implementation?

What did you do with skype UI. Its ugly, inconvenient. If the final will a little bit like this monster, i think users will never ever change to 4.x and leave with 3.x. At least I and my friends are going to. So think of what you are doing. UGLY. And even if you can detach the window, the right side of skype window is still occupied with s**t. There should be and option to turn back to the old look and feel or something like that.

This post has been edited by Smauglys: Wed Jun 18 2008, 10:16

Oh god, what have you done?! Please, add a 'classic mode' which goes back to the 3.8 style or something so that people who don't care about video don't HAVE to have the window at such a ridiculously huge size. It doesn't matter if screens are bigger these days, it's not the point. With the current version of Skype, I keep it docked to the side of my screen taking up about a third of the width and 100% of the height, and I now can no longer do that.

Basically I like the idea to keep all the chats in the same window, as it saves lots of space on the taskbar.

But I also think, that if I'm not chatting or talking to anyone I do not want to keep the right hand side of the Skype window and face the last selected contact all day. It would be great, if I could just collapse the right side of Skype with a click of a button or the edge. It would be even better, if this chat/call area could be positioned on either the left or the right side of the contacts area (I personally place skype on the far right of my screen, so unfolding could go to the left.)

If I accept an incoming call, then it would fold out automatically.

If someone starts to chat with me it would fold out, when I click on the chat.

Or put unfolding into preferences and let everyone to set as they prefer.

I also find, that the allowed minimum width of the right hand side is way too wide for chats. I know I can adjust the splitter and make the contacts area wider which makes the chat narrower, but I don't need that.

I also miss my groups, or at least I couldn't find it...

Full screen is scary for an application, which should run in the background. Full screen is for those applications, what I use for living (CAD, Editors...)

The idea of putting all chats to one window i think is the only good thing in this beta version. Before installing this, i've used 3.8 version in compact mode, so 4th version just scared me. I'm sure you want to make something special, different.. But i think lots of users want skype to be simple, light, without adds and thats all. I would suggest you to keep improving 3.8 version, not making skype freak.

Well Digsby has done a really nice job with IM, their pop window has a text field for a quick reply when you get a message. Now thats minimal, i dont even need a window, tab or anything.

It takes too many clicks to use skype. When someone IM's me a link i click the link and it opens a window and i have to click again, dreadful.

Minimise clicks, minimise the UI.

Oh and skype icon is the most tempremental icon in my taskbar, hides itself even when set to Always show, probably my computer tho.

Hope it helps Skype is awesome.

OK i like being able to detach windows from the mainform but then mainform becomes pointless. I now have two tasbar buttons, so if i have a few conversations going Skype clutters my entire PC.

IMO there is almost no need for the mainform, just a menu from the icon in the taskbar. The mainform is only for accessing my contacts nothing else regularly.

You do need a taskbar button for each conversation.

This has always bugged me hence my efforts at feedback.

Hey

You should make the side window more flexible. Add a long button on the side of the original GUI. Iff you press it the new side window appears. Allow it to go on both sides of the original GUI. This way the user can leave skype in the backgroung while working... If they want all the extra information, they can show it. At first startup you can add telp tekst describing how to hide / Show the windo. This way everyone can be happy I like the new window, but I like Skype to be a small window when I work at the computer. Add an option in the skype configuration so the large window pop up when you have a call or if you want it hidden...

This way everyone can be happy

Per

OK i like being able to detach windows from the mainform but then mainform becomes pointless. I now have two tasbar buttons, so if i have a few conversations going Skype clutters my entire PC.

IMO there is almost no need for the mainform, just a menu from the icon in the taskbar. The mainform is only for accessing my contacts nothing else regularly.

You do need a taskbar button for each conversation.

This has always bugged me hence my efforts at feedback.

Reason for edit: duplication inside the post

Thanks for your great feeedback. That's what we've released this betaversion for. Keep it coming!

@Groups feature: Contact grouping is not yet inside Beta1 but it will come back. Sorry for the temporary inconvenience.

Worst skype UI ever. It uses to much screen space...
Just make it the way it was and don't ever change it. IM software should look minimal and compact not visually bloated like MS Media Player.

What the heck!!! At first I thought Skype UI crashed! Now I'm sure it's done intentionally. This is ugly and annoying UI. There must be a way to shrink main UI into classic one.
The new GUI is too much bombastic and fat. Please make it small with transparency support.

I agree with all the others. The interface is way too big. And certain buttons (for example Call / Video Call button) are way to big. Mind you, my screen resolution is 1920x1200 and i could probably still see the buttons from the house across the street.

I also don't like when i detach a conversation from the main window, that the spot where the conversation took place doesn't disappear. Instead we get this blue backdrop. A total waste of space. You should change it so that we could have a compact contact list again.

Now for the good parts. I like the new way you handle the Chat History. I also like the easy switching between the conversation and contact view and i do like the fact that conversations are attached to the main window. But sometimes you do prefer to detach them, so i don't see why the huge window needs to remain.

I agree that the interface is too big. Many people keep the main window with the list of contacts docked on the right side of their screen. In fact, I have all my apps sized to leave space for Skype on the right. The minimum width now takes up half of my 20" monitor!

Basically - a compact contact list is critical!

Also, please bring back contact groups or at least make them easier to find.

I agree with others that the buttons are WAY too big.

This post has been edited by Veet: Wed Jun 18 2008, 19:16

..Many people keep the main window with the list of contacts docked on the right side of their screen..

Exactly! I often fix PCs, so I've seen how people use various IM clients. I would say 90% of them have the GUI on the right of the screen.

Within seconds of seeing it I didn't like the layout. When I found I couldn't change the layout I hated it even more. That's not a good start if they were trying to impress people. I'm sure Skype will evolve it, but they've tainted version 4.0 by launching it like this.




If the designers are reading this, here's a hint.. FLOAT, SNAP and DOCK

I agree with everyone. HATE the full screen with no option to start minimized.

Andy

I just wanted to echo what everyone has been saying. UI is everything. The more options the better. To be honest, even the old interface gets to me after a while. Compact mode changes the tabs and that's it as far as I know.

I think that you should start looking around at other communication programs and see what they're doing. I personally hate how large Skype is. I've got over 30 users in a Pidgin (AIM, Yahoo, MSN, etc. client) window and Skype barely holds 14 and that's if I hit escape to unhighlight the name. All that to say, more UI options to minimalize Skype would be much appreciated. For example:

1. Ability to remove the telephone input. I don't ever use it, and I'm sure there are others out there who don't necessarily make phone calls to LAN lines with skype.
2. While I know this is probably not going to change, as Skype is a free program, the links at the top underneath the user name are unnecessary.
3. Smaller chat window. It just doesn't need to be that big. If people want to video chat, then let it be an addition if and when the video link is setup, not a constant giant bar on the side of the window.

Having said all that, I love Skype and a lot of people at my work use it. I understand what you're trying to do to help the "average" computer user to access features in Skype that may or may not be confusing to some, but adding options to tailor Skype to individuals would be huge. It's all over the web, and it's growing at an exponential rate. Customization of everything from online email clients to social networking sites. I believe that Skype would benefit greatly from added customization.

Alright, that's my two cents. As long as it is, I think it's a little more than 2 cents, however.

What other apps are designed to be used full screen? In a widescreen era?! Consider also that Skype is an ancillary application, not a mainstay (word processor, browser) so it really should be designed to be used in a compact area and not one taking all or most of the screen. Fortunately, the window can be resized, but not small enough, and the smaller you make it the more it works against the design of the program. The detachment feature is something of a saving grace, though why should that be needed to make the program usable? Make it usable to start.

The idea above of a Classic mode, one which mimics the looks and feel of what we've known for years, is something you almost have to put in. Either that or continue to support 3.8 for a long, long time.

Also, I don't care for a chat window which starts tiny and grudgingly grows larger, and it's somewhat ironic for the oceans of space now available. Does anyone compose an email with the window reduced to such a size? It's unnatural and like typing on a handheld device, which is not a good feeling. Allow for more space than resizing makes possible now.

This post has been edited by rseiler: Wed Jun 18 2008, 21:51

The UI is really a way to big. (especially the right box...)
I liked the UI of 3.X...

Maybe some people like it, but *please* give us an option to get rid of this box!