Given the very limited resource (two person) available for the development of the linux version of the skype, I think there is a better way to give skype experience to the linux users: instead of developing a whole application, wasting time for the gui, the sound drivers, etc, the developers should use their unique access to the necessery information about the skype protocol to develop a protocol-plugin for kopete. That way they only have to worry about the parts that they're the only one can do: the communication protocol. Everything else: the video input and output, sound input and output and everything else can be or already has been developed by the community. The plugin could be closed source if it must be (I guess a part must be closed), but still easier to develop and maintain than a full blown application that is skype today.

Please, give this idea a chance!

Really, the negative attitude towards the development team is a bummer to the rest of the Skype community and the Linux community. You should be thankful that there's a Skype client for Linux.

I'm quite happy with their Linux version to be honest with you.

deltatux

are u out of ur mind? if anything the linux port should have more developers. it works, it runs... needs more work on the sound but it works good on everything else. i use linux exclusivly and i dont use KDE or any of its applications. id prefer the full skype client as do all my friends who also use linux.

keep up the good work devs! ur almost there

First of all, I'm not trolling here, I didn't mean to be negative, I'm being realistic. As a professional software developer, I know that two person for this size of job is not enough, the linux version will always lag behind hopelessly, even if they could share code with the other versions.
I agree that there should be more developers. But since there is no more developers, they should think about how to allocate the ones they have.
A kopete (or some other) plugin is much less work, that way we would have a chance to see working audio and video chat over skype in this decade.

Negative comments may not be your intent, but you're still making them.

"that way we would have a chance to see working audio and video chat over skype in this decade"

I mean, seriously..

On a positive note, I should say that the 2 people mentioned including myself are working on the UI(!) side of things, and not the actual Skype functionality itself which has a bigger overall team.

So things are not as dismal as you may think, nor are things such a monstrous task.

Andrew.

Competition is good, even for the Skype staff..
Nice to see you finally are taking notice of your ca 5% (linux-) market.

Seriously, I've been using Skype for quite a while, and have been looking for an update, even a beta, for years.
And I clearly remember that nothing happened before some flamewars broke out here on the Skype-forum, check:
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic...amp;hl=flamewar
So if you are complaining about a negative tone, you may consider your (Skype) attitude toward the Linux users.

Seriously, I think it will be nice if Skype corp. did make some (closed-source) plugins for the (open-source) applications out there.
You may even be surpriced what the community is able to make out of it.
If you dare..
You should be able to accomplish that even whitout abandon your linux port.

N

No! Don't abandon! I think the product is great, of course it needs work, but what doesnt? As development continues the product will increasingly get better. It just takes some patience.

The decade is over in 3 years, the last stable release is almost a year old. I say it's not impossible that there will be a stable release with video, but it's not impossible either. A bet, anyone?

I really have to agree with the OP. The Linux client is literally years behind the Windows and OS-X clients. I played with it for a couple of hours, and then installed the Windows version into wine. I'm not going back.

In a perfect world, sure, get some more developers to work on the Linux port. But that's not going to happen. People should get over themselves with their 'my way or the highway' attitude. The suggestion to concentrate on a plugin for kopete is a brilliant one. As already noted, this is the most efficient way for Skype to further their Linux support ... which translates to a better product for us. Some people critical of this suggestion are complaining because ... what exactly? Because they want the title bar of their application to say 'skype' instead of 'kopete'?

I came here to suggest something different: that Skype should drop their Linux port and instead target wine. But after reading the kopete suggestion, I think this is the far better idea.

Seriously people. The Linux version is dead in the water. Sad but true.

You ask why? Because there are ppl like me that don't use Kopete and especially don't use KDE. Ever thought about that? Maybe we should ask for a plugin or whatever for Gaim (not that I like Gaim but I use it).

Greets. Buellman

But why are you giving less importance to the linux port???? I use Linux all the time, the half of users of my company use linux (as Desktop), and the need fo use SKYPE is growing for us, but we can't still use skype because is not a stable release for use at work.

Linux is growing faster to, SKYPE team should give a lot more importance of their linux port.

Thank you to the people developing for linux, but SKYPE should not take the linux port as a hobby, here we are people trying to use SKPE at work and for make bussiness and using linux.

I think that linux is better than windows, always. Now, I'm using linux :-p

False.

I'm very happy with the latest beta (1.3.0.37). It's very stable for me. Thursday evening I had a seven hour conversation while playing OpenTTD :-) without any problems what so ever! In fact, the only problem I ever had with this version, is that I had to install emul-linux-x86-soundlibs-2.4 on (Gentoo ~AMD64) to get the microphone to work.

7 hour conversation, nice
And OpenTTD, also nice

Glad to hear some positive feedback

I don't think the Linux port should be abandoned, but it's pretty clear to me that a number of things should be reconsidered to make it a truly successful Linux port.

For one, a more modular design, and opening some parts of the API. I'm trying to get it working on my network gateway and plug it into a USB-B2K phone box [1]. After weeks of on-and-off trying, I've hit a few major roadblocks that won't be solved anytime soon unless some subsystems are opened:

* Not everyone wants to run Skype Linux on a machine that has a GUI. My gateway sits in the attic and serves music / movies / files for the whole house. And hopefully someday, skype calls. I can run a fake X server so skype finds a display and is happy, even if no one ever looks at it. That would work if it was possible to get the telbox working, i.e. ringing and understanding my typing phone numbers on the keypad. Which brings me to my second point:

* yealink advertised providing Linux drivers for the USB-B2K. That's a lie. They did release one driver, a year ago as of Sep 26 2006, that only worked for Fedora Core 4 [2]. I use Debian, [ insert your favorite distro here ]. Fortunately, as is often the case in the Linux world, a few smart people will hack and reverse engineer something broken or non-existing into something that works. That's what the USBB2K-API project is doing [3].

Equipped with the usbb2k tools, I have something that can detect the handset on/off, read the phone keys as I type numbers and ring the phone. That took quite a bit of hacking to get it all working, but at least there was something I could do.

Now, I don't see anything in Skype Linux that I could use to hook together my now working phone box and Skype. I was romantically thinking that it would "just work". Yeah well, sometimes I can't face the obvious. Unless a part of Skype's API is opened so people can drive the app from whatever they come up with, we're always going to hit roadblocks.

Summing up .. I spent $40 on the telbox, and a number of weekend hours hacking away. Learned a few things .. got the phone box working .. can play music on the phones through the house .. but no Skype. Guess the next step now is to get one of those $300-something WiFi phones that run the Skype client on the device and don't require a computer in between.

[1] yealink's USB-B2K: http://yealink.com/en/view.asp?ClassLayer=6
[2] SkypeMate for Linux: http://yealink.com/en/skypedown.asp
[3] USBB2K-API, open source linux drivers for the USB-B2K box: http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/usbb2k-api/

backtrack to my blog: http://ttimo.vox.com/library/post/skype-linux.html

Fortunately, I cannot imagine the developers listening to such dribble as the suggestion that they abandon the linux port.

To these naysayers (and to the developers) I can happily report that the latest Skype Beta is strong indeed. While I do pick up delays over long Skype out calls (by long I mean 35 to 45 minutes or more), I can talk for extremely long periods on Skype to Skype without any problems. On my network, we run two Skype for Windows PC installations and one Skype for Linux installation. They are virtually identical most of the time in terms of sound and connection quality.

Skype for Linux needs to be improved (the delay that comes eventually on Skype out calls is an example; there's also a problem sometimes connecting to auto answering devices: if it asks for press three, then press two, then press three, you often find that when you get to a person they can't hear you).

But these improvements will come, I'm sure.

I use Skype for Linux all the time...I use it instead of a regular land line phone. And I am impressed by its quality.

It's not constructive to suggest that customers like me should simply forget about linux and use Kopete or Gaim for a halfway approach. That would be a serious step backward.

Soon, you'll be able to buy a phone that connects directly to your wireless router, with no need for any PC interface at all. If you're disenchanted with Skype for linux and want to use a linux OS, then buy one of those phones.

But don't discourage hard working people from doing their jobs and pleasing their many customers.

The linux industry segment is huge. It can even bigger than Windows. Skype starts as a VoIP solution. The best-selling products in VoIP industry such as IP-Phones, Cisco ATA, SIP-Gateways (ZiPEG, www.zipcom.com.tw), etc. as well as Routers, Wirless APs, etc., are all embedded system based. Linux is one of the favorate platform for embedded systems.

It is nonsense to give up Linux platform. We should cheer the develpmers for the wonderful work done.

As a VoIP solution, Linux Skype is behind Windows Skype. The most important ones are:
1. Call forwarding
2. API
3. Multiple user support (Runas utility in Windows).
4. ...

It is very important to make VoIP solution complete before moving to Video or anything else.

Cheers. Linux Skype Developers.

I shall also post my success story. I've installed the Beta on Ubuntu 6.06 and it runs just peachy. I have very long comptuer to computer calls, I can listen to music, play video games, and talk on Skype all at the same time. That's DY-NO-MYTE! I have also used the Skype to landline/cell phone feature and my friends are just amazed. I've got them downloading and installing Skype now as well.

The only issue I have, and I attribute it to my lack of Linux knowledge (as I'm a new user) is that for some reason, Skype doesn't pick up my headset the first time I login. When I boot my computer and log in the first time, and open Skype, the sound comes out of my main speakers and it doesn't recognize my mic. I have to log out/log in of my desktop, then all works peachy. I'm sure it's just some setting I'm missing, and since I'm aware of it, I just test as soon as I log in, if it don't work, I log out then in, and then all is nice in Skype land again. I'll track down the answer sooner or later, it's no biggie.

So to sum up, to abandon the Linux port in favor of a plugin for some chat program that I may or may not choose to use is an idea concocted by a drunken maniac (no offence intended ) and undermines the great work that has been done thus far.

To the devs and the community, thank you very much for this awesome program. I am putting alot of though into abadoning something all right, my home phone and going with Skype.

TristanMike

1.2.0.18_API is rock solid on my Slackware system. I guess it all depends on the distro and what sound system you have. I'm using an older (and very stable) OSS commercial driver with KDE/artsdsp to run Skype. I've had many multi-hour conversations, both PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone. The word I have for Skype: "Brilliant".

YMMV.

I got wife and friends using it now, too. There's nothing better than killing a 5-hour layover in Vienna airport by hooking up to the wireless LAN and yapping with my wife in Tokyo. For free. We spoke so much during my last trip to Graz that my headset made my ear sore.

Go, Linux devs!