Skype for Linux public API is entering closed beta soon. It's based on D-BUS. If you would like to play with it and know a bit about D-BUS, drop me a Private Message to get involved. Replies will be sent in a couple of weeks. Also, when applying for a test, please say a few lines about what you plan to do with it (just play or integrate in some app etc). If you know some people who would like to be involved but aren't on this forum, please spread the word.

Skype for Linux public API is entering closed beta soon.

It's based on D-BUS.

By using D-BUS which looks very promissing after a short google, it will hopefully be possible to make Gnome users happy after their disappointment that QT was used for Skype.

Just for culture, could you provide some good links about D-BUS? This will possibly help people deciding wether they will be part of the first run to test the API or not :-).

D-BUS homepage is at http://dbus.freedesktop.org/ . We wanted something that is as desktop-independent as possible while being high-level enough so that it would be easy to use. It is also going to be a part of Qt4 - http://trolls.troll.no/~harald/dbus/ - until Qt4 gets released and widely adopted which might be in several years, we'll maintain it as it is.

Hi, Have you mentioned about Skype API using D-BUS on the dbus mailing list ? Testers from that list may be able to provide high quality feedback

Just for culture, could you provide some good links about D-BUS?

IBM have put up a pretty good D-BUS tutorial:

http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linu...ary/l-dbus.html

Andy

cool ! there is even C# bindings (Mono) for D-Bus

The word is being spread:

http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=90946

This is for the Kopete, the KDE Instant Messenger.

This is for the Kopete, the KDE Instant Messenger.

I guess, this will propagate to most pulti-protocol IM clients for Linux!
The others are SIM, GAIM, LICQ and more.

Additionnal fields is server-oriented code (e.g. some integraion for PHP, or even for remote desktop apps, e.g. VNC)

It would be very nice to have Gnome/Gtk# frontend for Skype. QT is good but GTK rulez

Hi All,

I am a hybrid guru as we say meaning Linux and MS software developer.

I am surprised to see how many people like Skype. Linux and Asterisk is based on Open Source, Skype isn't, not a lot of Linux users will be wanting to switch to a propietery solution, which only offers part of what is now allready possible with Asterisk PBX and all kinds of SIP and IAX soft and hardware telephones.

Skype is not the future as you will be locking your self into a system which is propietary stuff , meaning YOU will be able to do what Skype allows and nothing more!

Why would we switch to a closed solution when more capable and advanced solutions such as Asterisk are here and operating in a very reliable fashion..

I bet you this post will be removed before this community will get a chance to read it. please visit www.digium.com for info on Asterisk PBX.

This open source PBX allows you to choose yourself which codec, protocols, .... and so much more you wan to use in your system!

More, all source is available and has been build to interface whit any know telecoms hardware out there. You should all be looking at SIP and IAX as they are the protocols, which will be used in the future and not a system like Skype. All iSkype does is traverse firewall and also implements it's own audio codec.

I am willing to help develop the linux version of Skype but OBLY if it is made Open Source, else their is no reason for us Linux developers to assist.

Cheers and sorry Skype, but there is more out there then just Skype.

How about SIP support in your next release???

Hoping to have helped,

Charlie
www.osstyn.com

I bet you this post will be removed before this community will get a chance to read it. please visit www.digium.com for

Nothing will be removed. There are a lot of discussions around these subjects (especially SIP) elsewhere on these forums which you may find interesting. I don't want to get into lengthy discussions on the subject - I can just say that Skype with its current model has found many happy users also on Linux and we intend to keep it this way and keep growing and improving - a lot remains for us to be done also on the Linux platform.

And it's a free world where you can vote with your feet and pick between different solutions. Skype has chosen one model, others have different models. Eventually, users are the ones deciding what they like.

You make me laugh most telcos allready route many of their calls via TCP/IP packets and use Asterisk or Cisco VOIP servers for it. Why would we need to start using something else if in fact we are allready all using it.

Asterisk allows all of us to become our own BT or telcoms and gives 100 % control over any type of calls you make. Where is skype's IVR, recording of conversations, interface to any hardware or PABX out there and the rest ....

Users and companies worldwide have chosen allready they want good calls and most large communities are still very hard to convince to use software phones, this is why the hardware support build into Asterisk beats Skype every time. not only does Asterisk bridge SIP, IAX and POTS but is written so any middleware and any software solution you own today can be added without any hassle whatsoever, the same is true for the hardweare you use today.

Smart IT managers are now migrating to Asterisk.

Also the software and most soft phones are for free. After all Skype uses SIP for SkypeOut doesn't it. I bet you your partners have several VOIP servers from Cisco to run it all.

Let me know if this is the case, if it is not a secret. I am more intrested in you telling me why Skype is better then Asterisk and why in havens name we should switch to a propietary solution locking us into your strategies. I like freedom and so do most people out there the fact that Asterisk is open source ensures you you will always find someone with the same problem and can then fix it as you have source code to wrok with no secrets concerning Asterisk. Just have a look at the mailinglist to get an idea of what can be achieved with Asterisk. The sky is the limit. Not so with Skype, Skype company sets the limits and they are not high : Presence and a codec , ....?

Cheers hoping to have helped,


Sorry again for Skype not convinced at all.

Charlie
www.osstyn.com

I am more intrested in you telling me why Skype is better then Asterisk and why in havens name we should switch to a propietary solution locking us into your strategies. I like freedom.

Sorry again not convinced at all.

I am not trying to convince anybody into anything. And this thread is offtopic for this kind of discussion and A vs B arguments, other forums (General Discussion) are better for this. All that was said initially was, our Linux API will be available soon.

why Skype is better then Asterisk and why in havens name we should switch to a propietary solution locking us into your strategies.

I think it's because Skype is very easy to use and install on windows. even if u're using a lan or something u don't need to configure nothing and if u want to speak with someone u just double click on its name in your buddy list. If u can do this with asterik on both windows and linux, please tell me how I would be happy to use it. by the way is there such an API for asterisk so it could be used with gaim and kopete?

yes it is that simple once the servers have been set up and yes kopete and gaim are supported but we use different client which implement all this too what kopete and gaim do. more you got source if you dont like it you can change it.

Check out this site for info on a softphone www.xten.com and then go here http://www.pulver.com/fwd/ for your free one and an account this company has more users then Skype on its books.

The comapny is know under the name 'Free World Dialup' and can be found here http://www.pulver.com/fwd/ and uses a similar system to Skype but it supports SIP.


Also have a look at the list below all these companies offer similar services and you can ring the users of the other systems too not proprietary like Skype.

For IAX™ Termination

NuFone
http://www.NuFone.net
Jeremy McNamara
Voice: 248-724-VoIP
sales@nufone.net

VoicePulse
http://connect.voicepulse.com

TelAppliant VoIPtalk (London)
sales@telappliant.com
Voice: 0845 004 4040
International Voice: +44 20 7740 3490
Fax: 0845 004 4041
E-mail: sales@telappliant.com
WWW: www.telappliant.com

Net International
www.netinternational.com
Noah Otalvaro
Voice: 786-206-7222
noah@netinternational.com

VoipJet (New York)
www.voipjet.com
carriers@voipjet.com

Australian Technology Partnerships (Sydney)
Martin Warner
Voice: +61 (0)2 9438 4222
WWW:www.atp.org.au
Email:sales@atp.org.au
netVOICE IP-Centrex.ca (Vancouver, Canada)
www.ip-centrex.ca
sales@ip-centrex.ca
Voice: 1 877 NET-VOIP (877 638-8647)
Fax: 604 484 5998

I am sure you will understand when reading these sites. If you really want to dive into it check out the Asterisk Wiki @ http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Asterisk where you can find tons of info.

More you can runs Asterisk on a Windows box as a server but no support for the hardware interfaces then, this is only possible on Linux for now.

See here for info and a free download of the server for your LAN:
http://www.digium.com/index.php?menu=astwind

Cheers I hope this helps,

Charlie
www.osstyn.com

for me its still unconvincing thesis 'every other program for Linux MUST be open sourced'. open operation system ? great ! open server software ? great ! nothing wrong with commercial software running on open OS. also Skype is FREEWARE :!:

I am a hybrid guru as we say meaning Linux and MS software developer.

You must understand Skype software consists at least of three blocks: UI, Global IP Sound Codecs and P2P Library (not sure who holds copyright, Joltid or Skype).
For Global IP Sound Codec visit iLBC Freeware
As of other parts... well gimme key of Your flat and bank account credentials <c> Ilf && Petroff

There is a lot of debate regarding the merits of using Skype vs. Asterisk in this forum. I for one use Asterisk at work, but I applaud the work of the Skype team.

Skype is a great product and I appreciate the work they have done with it. If more "open" solutions challenge them. Good! This means that Skype will have some competition and will have to provide a product that can adapt.

I applaud them opening the API. I know that the GNOME developers will applaud this effort (esp, the linking to DBUS). I can't wait for an EPlugin for Evolution to integrate Skype with Evo (*hint* *hint*)

Well done Skype! I can't wait.

Hi there,

It seems like people (no names mentioned) have been quite gung-ho to cut down skype where it is not as good as asterix.

What I would like to know is why skype has not been more liberal in discussing it's communication platform. I mean let us face it, skype is pretty much gained so much ground that it is ridiculous?

Since it has secured a lead through some intelligent tactics, why not take what I consider the next tactical step: become open source. I mean your money is derived from extra service provision, and does not rely on which clients are being used...etc.

I am happy to see the release of API's etc. But what of protocol specifications, or is there no desire to see skype connectivity coming from clients like gaim. For e.g. my gripe at the moment is that the instant messaging facility of skype lacks for a bit, and while very simple, I have found the contact list a bit annoying at times. Obviously with API specifications someone else can come along and write a new interface..etc.


Basically I am wondering why not go for gold, be more open, and not only will you have your subscriber base who just wants a good service, but you will attract those who like open standards etc.

I really get annoyed with militants who punt that another open standard is more appropriate, why not work on getting everyone to work together. While unhappy that skype is not open standard etc. I am well impressed with the approach that has been taken, truly swift and intelligent approach to getting instant take up on the net. And thinking about it, skype is just a more intelligent (marketting wise) approach to something that asterix, and even netmeeting solved ages ago.

Well done, but please consider being good to your community and attract the open source contingent, there is no reason why you cannot now have the best of both worlds.

charelke, and others. Here I will spell out to you why many people prefer Skype over Asterix/whatever. Agree or not, I am not trying to convince you of anything, I am just pointing out the viewpoints which are prefectly valid.

- Ease of use. As someone said, you download Skype, and run it. No messing with firewalls, nothing. It Just Works™. SIP cannot offer this currently, it does not work over all firewall setups.

- Cross Platform. The Skype software is the nearly exact same on Windows and Linux. You can email the Windows client to your grandma and be talking to her in under 5 minutes. The same can not be said of the software to connect to Asterix. I cannot find a Windows compiled version of GnoPhone anywherea nd if it links against the Gnome libraries and not just GTK, you probably can't build one. Sure you could use a different SIP program, but that would be *different*, so it is not the same software.

- Popularity. Skype is over 33 million downloads already, and they serve millions of active clients at any given time. It will not matter if SIP is the best thing since sliced bread if no one uses it. Look at the BetaMax / VHS wars. Of course, SIP is and will remain popular for the back-end IP Telephony transport. That doesn't mean it will every become the predominant front-end transport, nor does it need to be.

And now, to refute some of your pros for SIP

- FreeWorldDialup. This may be as good as SkypeOut, it may not. I cannot find out since they don't publish any of their rates for PC to Phone calls? With Skypeout I can call to almost anywhere in the world for under 3cents / min, 1.7 cents / min in NA or western europe. What are the rates for FWD? They don't seem to publsh them.

- Efficiency. SIP *is not* as good as Skype in terms of quality with dial up internet calls. I have used SIP nuemrous times, and Skype numerous times, and there is no comparison. The audio codec the Skype guys have developed is superiour at low bitrates, without a doubt.

- Telcos, routing via SIP. Who cares? Skype is a consumer app, not a telco routing app. What the telcos use at the back end is their business. Transferring VOIP over your own network where you cna use priority queueing and other measures, is *vastly* different from placing calls over the public internet.

In conclusion: SIP has an important role, and will reamin important, at the telco and the back end. No one debates this. What will become the predominant consumer VOIP app - Skype, SIP, or something else, who knows. But a) you can't dismiss Skype as being inferior, and b) you can't just derride people for using it. It is their choice. Deal.

I won't go into the religious discussion of which is better (open source or propriatary) since it is an endless battle.

Instead, I am offering to help have the best of both worlds: An Asterisk channel for the Skype network (through time I have learned to think constructively ;]).

This should be possible with the Skype API for Linux that is due soon??? Does it have a release date yet? (or maybe I missed something and it is already out??)

I must say that I am pretty new to both Asterisk and Skype, but having about 8 years of datacommunications experience in software engineering, I hope I will be able to give this project a proper push.

Who else is willing to help out the community in this way? Pls. contact me if you have any info on how to get this started (like I said: newbie here ;]).

Cheers!

rene@kluwen.com