With nearly 2 months since the last very buggy linux release and steady activity on the MacOS and Windows front, it's not difficult to see why one would think that.

Now a bunch of upcoming mobile phones and other devices could use a linux version of skype. Simultaneously, Windows for smartphones is also gathering pace. Has skype already made the choice that they'll support only windows devices and thus don't really need to work on a linux version at all ?

To me it is the case. What do others think ?

[quote=dukeinlondon]What do others think ?[/quote]
You'll see that if you read the forum. There are plenty of threads about the topic.

I somehow feel that ebay has something to do with the slow pace of development. The thing is, we are the smallest community, so why spend much money on the development... Although they have enough (money i mean)...

[quote=RockHound]I somehow feel that ebay has something to do with the slow pace of development. The thing is, we are the smallest community, so why spend much money on the development... Although they have enough (money i mean)...[/quote]

yea

doesnt ebay run on IIS?

not the latest version thank gawd

[quote=towel401]doesnt ebay run on IIS?[/quote]
So what?

ebay could be notorious linux haters.. or microsoft fanboys, or got a discount from m$ to discriminate against other operating systems

[quote=towel401]ebay could be notorious linux haters.. [/quote]
Yeah, just like there might be notorious Linux haters on Mars trying to invade Earth. Good thing US Army is using IIS on http://www.army.mil/, with a bit of luck the marsians may think of US Army as friends.

People with such political agendas are usually not very successful in doing business, though...

If it makes you feel better, Skype is using Apache for their web site, Ebay is using IIS+IBM Websphere in the US and UK (websphere is not really a sign of Microsoft fanaticism) and apache+mod_perl in some other regions.

dude, i always thought IIS is the service which is running since win2k on windows machines as "webserver"

wasnt that called something like this?

I think ebay is unlikely to share the 'max platform coverage makes good business sense' ethos that drove the original skype team to invest in a linux version. After all, only Adobe went down that route, and that's only for the acrobat reader. Real player can only be described as a cut down version of the windows release and even looks bad compared to the macOS version.

Like most other mass market IT company, they probably just went "why bother with a fringe market nobody actually knows anything about ? not even its size ?" The ebay site probably has some very dire figures in terms linux representation.

I don't believe will see more linux effort from skype now.

There are some differences between skype and real player. First, real player sucks. Second, there are already lots of very good media players for Linux, why bother to get second best media player like real player? Skype can get a big marked share because Skype has great potential, and because voip applications are still in an early "age". Third, Skype can actually make money out of Linux users, like skypeout and other services. Real Player doesn't get any income from Linux users.

EDIT: And the number of Linux users may also affect the numbers of Windows and Mac users as well .

[quote=Rattlesnake]Skype can get a big marked share because Skype has great potential, and because voip applications are still in an early "age". Third, Skype can actually make money out of Linux users, like skypeout and other services. Real Player doesn't get any income from Linux users.

EDIT: And the number of Linux users may also affect the numbers of Windows and Mac users as well .[/quote]

There is no reason to believe that the linux version will considerably cheaper to develop than the windows version. Go see the finance guy (usually the chairman is one of them these days) and explain the rational of the incredibly small potential return on investment. Career destroying move if there is one ! :roll:

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see them move to an Opera like development model, with heavily portable codebase, thus rendering the above argument groundless. I just don't believe it's going on right now.

But you are right, I am trying hard to get people around me (nobody uses skype yet) to move to something else, so if all linux users were to find something really multiplatform at this stage of the market, it could make a difference, since I am sure we all play a prescripting role in our entourage...

But is it impossible to estimate how many use Skype under linux ?

nope, no one can get a clear number of Linux users using Skype, maybe the staff could though.

All I know is that there are more Linux users than there are Mac.

xboxrulz

Yes, but, on the whole, Mac users are more willing to pay for things than Linux users.

I am willing to pay for services any day. For software, on the other hand...not so much.

But, and correct me if I'm wrong here...isn't Skype selling services, not software? And how many times does the word "free" occur in Skype ads and on Skype.com?

I fail to see your point.

I am a linux user and I am willing to pay for skype out, however I won't do it if skype does not resolve the sound problems with their crippled linux version (especially the problem with the choppy sound that appears after a few minutes of conversation which forces me to reestablish the call). I thought even migrating to wengo, however their software also has a lot of sound problems and doesn't work on my SUSE 10 64 bit.

[quote=SP8472]I am willing to pay for services any day. For software, on the other hand...not so much.

But, and correct me if I'm wrong here...isn't Skype selling services, not software? And how many times does the word "free" occur in Skype ads and on Skype.com?

I fail to see your point.[/quote]

I didn't meant to state this as truth, but rather as what it seems that the skype decisionmakers, or perhaps the ebay decisionmakers, think. I know that linux users are quite ready and willing to pay for services.

I am a linux user, and I pay for skypeout.. you can bet the moment skype becomes unusuable under linux, I'll be trying something else!

Same with me, I also pay for Skypeout. But lets see for how long if they dont get it fixed.

Another problem is that the protocol is proprietary. it is not open like SIP. So you are tied to Skype and cant use KPhone or something (for example).

So finally Skype is another bad example for the risks of closed source software.

Hi all!

Sorry for the off topic, but please, take a look to the petition for alsa support at:

http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=43092

and add your post if you feel this is an important issue!!!

Cheers,

Federico.

fflego, STOP SENDING THIS ALL AROUND THE FORUM, YOU'RE SPAMMING AND NOT HELPING US. I ALREADY STARTED A PETITION EXACTLY LIKE THIS ONE 2-3 MONTHS AGO!!

xboxrulz

At this moment, I must say that I WAS using SkypeOut. There are many SIP based alternatives around nowadays, which are alive under Linux - I tested a few of them and chose one. The sooner you do the same the better for you. No Skype for Linux actualisation in 3 month is absolutely clear sign that staying by Skype under Linux is equivalent to staying in a crumbling house while there are new houses around.

I'd be interested what the outcome of your testing was. Can you post something somewhere and let me know ?

I'd very much like to know whether all these people will be just slightly curious to try out the new skype when it comes out of closed beta? Or will they stick to their SIP phones with staunch loyalty? Personally I reckon people will come back whenever they release it, because by in large they do release good software... Any chance we could stop this futile complaining yet? It so hard to find pointful posts in amongst a forum full of people all saying the same thing over and over again, why I even started, I'm sure I wrote this elsewhere...