Linux/Mac developers?
Welcome back from the weekend break.
I was looking over the extras gallery on Friday and one thing struck me. We have just under 400 items in there and I didn’t spot any thing (other than code libraries) for Linux, and nothing for Mac users.
So I wondered where all our Linux/Mac developers are. Is anyone writing apps for the Linux and Mac platforms?
Let me know the reason, I am really curious why there is nothing Linux/Mac related here. Considering the hate mail I receive when I produce a video in WMV and not in a cross platform format I wonder what you guys are developing and what we can do to help you start producing extras for Linux/Mac users.
Answer for linux:
truste me,the answer to your question is 99% related to this http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=47505.
y know?
When Skype 2.x comes out for Linux and Mac, with up to date features and API support, extras should port over. I think its lack of functionality (in Skype for Linux/Mac) not lack of intent or demand.
Skype for Lunix is underdeveloped. We use it in our company. We collect workarounds and register them in our internal knowledgebase.
Our employees would be lost if he/she doesn’t have access to our knowledgebase.
If you have at least corrected bugs in current Linux version, we’d be happy. No need for features. Skype should “Just Work” in Linux, but it doesn’t yet.
Do your job good and users and developers follow.
Now that Skype has been bought, development will slow down and focus will be internal on driving Ebay revenue.
No SIP support. Until that’s dealt with, many developers will focus on other clients.
Lack of focus on things to do with Skype, everyone is creating technical solutions behind the scenes instead of consumer-facing add-ins that aren’t glorified control panels.
To join the beta program you have to have an extra in the gallery. Why?
API’s are uneven and not well documented.
# of people who use/care about Skype on Linux is small.
Competition is heating up, Skype is not dominant player anymore.
There is so much that Skype has to do internally before the next wave of developers jump on board. Where to begin?
Because the Linux version of Skype is now *a major rev.* behind the Windows.
Which sucks.
Come on guys, sort it out !
We’ve developed ++Skype library which simplifies the development for linux. Our Bombino software can be runned under linux, not only under Windows. It is based on ++Skype. We’ve developed several other linux, skype-related projects.
And after this experience I see the following problems with Skype for Linux adn its API:
1) It is not an easy task to run even callto-script (supplied with Skype 4 Linux), as well as any other application which uses Skype API. Skype for linux uses an ancient version of the D-BUS library. Modern linux distributions uses another version of this library. And if you want to play with Skype API you should find this ancient (really ancient!) D-BUS library and run Skype in the separate environment. It is not an easy task, as I said already. See the following URLs for example: http://www.icebrains-soft.com/skype_not_registered_in_dbus and http://www.icebrains-soft.com/bombino2005_manual#linuxinstall (linux pre-requirements)
2) Skype for linux doesn’t support some critical API features. For example: it is impossible to GET/SET AUDIO devices, it is impossible to create a conference with “CALL target1, target2, …” syntax.
3) Skype for linux is buggy enough. For example: there is a well-known bug with audio devices. 3party application was developed – skype-dsp-hijacket to solve this problem: http://juljas.net/linux/skype/ Now I can’t just run skype, I have to run it with this application. This is ugly!
4) Skype for linux is not so powerful as Windows version. The latest Skype for linux release is dated by October, 2005.
I have request for building stand alone Skype phone with Linux and embedded processor (i.e. ARM, MIPS based processor). Any plan for Linux Skype that runs on processor other than x86?
I made a java API for Windows and Mac, don’t have linux running at home so haven’t created the Linux version (yet).
With a java API I hope for more developpers to join me on the Mac.
Being an in-house Linux user and a frequent reader/contributor to the Linux Skype forum, I think I have an answer to Lester’s question.
The developers are out there, waiting for us to deliver a platform to them. Truth is we’ve concentrated our development efforts in the Windows client, leaving Mac and especially Linux versions lagging behind. And with three different connection methods to the API instead of one that works on all three platforms, we’ve been effectively prohibiting the developer community from creating cross-platform add-ons to Skype.
So far, Skype’s API development has been driven by that of the client; let’s see when (or if?) we can change this.
I am developing Skype API for Java (http://sourceforge.jp/projects/skype/files/) to support Linux and MacOS.
It will enables Skype plug-in developers to make applications for multi-platform in single source code.
And OS X development has been stalled in my case, I am trying to compile my project on my new MBP but the framework only allows PPC architecture, no intel.
Skype does not install on the most popular linux distribution and its derivatives (debian/ubuntu), due to a spelling mistake in the package requirements. And its been a problem for a year, and new version has been released since which still doesnt fix this basic error.
http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=29679
No wonder there is little interest in developing extensions in Linux.
There is nothing developed for linux because there is no way to develop for linux. The API is so outdated people just gave up. Someone went to the trouble of writing a Kopete plugin for example which is awesome, Problem is it will only run on antique versions of linux with old versions of dBus that nobbody has anymore. Now the code just sits there for a year gathering dust. Please, please please either open up some code for people to work on or bring the API up to date and people will use it. We like skype in our business but cannot wait to switch to something else since it really looks like linux support has been dropped.
Obviously there is a lack of communication in within the Skype company! lestermadden does not seem to know, that Skype’s Linux support only exists on the paper.
Please take a look at the Skype Linux Forum and read up on the reported issues. There are some pretty annoying bugs out there for more than a year now! Yes, more than a year! The one bug mentioned above renders Skype practically unusable. You can’t expect the Linux user to restart Skype after every call, because the damn thing does not release the OSS sound device and therefore prevents itself from accessing it for the next call.
The community begs for ALSA support on hands and knees for about 2 years now! NOTHING!
Why should anybody write anything for this crapy piece of junk?
At the present time I think there is more Linux Skype users looking towards other VoIP systems than users who believe ALSA support will ever come true. I mean, if you are not even able or willing to fix the bug mentioned above in one years time, who should believe that Skype is a platform worth developing for?
You can only fool people for so long. And 2 years I think is a bit more than so long.
There is no official statement of the company about the future of Linux support. If you would at least have the guts to say “we don’t give a damn about Linux”.
But somehow you already did that!
After all this waiting I am really pretty angry! I can’t hold myself from writing a view more lines!
There is a whole bunch of PAYING Skype Linux users out there. And you treat them like dirt! We are the customers! We at least deserve an answer to our questions!
What is the purpose of an official Skype Linux forum if you don’t even answer our questions? Is it just meant to be a platform for us to exchange our bad experience?
Get your act together and at least fix the most immediate bugs
RIGHT NOW!
So there is at least a half way decent working antiquated version instead of an antiquated non-working version!
Oh my god, I had to deal with that for to long …. I can’t hold it back any longer …. #@*(!~&^^ …. breath elias, breath, …. ~@#~!`*@# ….. I have it under control …. I have it under control …. relax, relax, …
[quote]So I wondered where all our Linux/Mac developers are. Is anyone writing apps for the Linux and Mac platforms?[/quote]
With all due respect, why should anyone bother?
One of the reasons I embraced Skype is because it is (or perhaps I should say _was_) cross-platform. Linux development has stalled, and is now dead-in-the-water, if not actually dead.
The perception of linux users in the forums is that for all intents and purposes development _is_ dead. Questions go unanswered, bugs go unfixed, there is no apparent movement, even with something as essential as conversion to the ALSA sound system to replace the long-deprecated OSS. We’re looking at 7+ months with no updates, no official pronouncements on a linux roadmap, etc. Is it any wonder that people are beginning to look at other platforms?
I know when I discovered Skype a little over a year ago, I was *excited* about it–now that ardour has cooled considerably, to the point that I am looking at alternatives. Skype was very promising prior to the EBay purchase, now it is considerably less so.
Why should anyone develop for Skype on Linux when Skype itself is apparently unable or unwilling to visibly support it?
Skype sucks for us the Mac users. I pay more than i should i get no updates, no fixes, no betas, no nothing. Skype is windows-only… it REALLY SUCKS BIGGGG TIME!
Is there an option to send and receive files out of Pocket PC’s?
Is there an option to send and receive files out of Pocket PC’s?
Commments to telega@hotmail.com please.
I know this an old post but i really want to reiterate many of these comments.
The Linux community is rather obviously based around the open source ethic. Skype is proprietry and uses a proprietry codec and is thus rejected by the majority of the respectable linux community (Ignore the trolls). Java and Skype have both tried to marry open source and proprierty software and look at the general response the community gave to Sun over openoffice and Java. Skype is in many respects more proprietry than Java is and you should cosnider yourselves to be treated with at least the same level of contempt.
In terms of the API and current Linux/Mac development. I can only echo what has been said in that Linux is over a major release behind its Windows counterpart, which is a lot considering both platforms were being developed for concurrently. Linux video/audio and driver support has improved a lot in the later 2.6 kernels. As someone highlighted Skype still uses OSS which I havent used personally since 2.4. The alsa libaries should be far easier to develop for and overcome some of the previous problems in developing. V4l is now cosndiered stable and combined with udev/hotplug supports usb webcams older than a few months out of the box.
It is also worryed to hear that Skype have effectively 3 different API’s, one for each platform. I am not much of a developer but surely there should be a single API for the proprietry parts of the code with varying interfaces to the API for each platform. Keep the top API proprietry and open up the interfaces to the communities.
I actually love using skype, the sound and video quality is far superior to msn’s video conferencing capabilities and is slowly ecoming as widely used. The orginal cross platform promise of Skype was an admirable one and was why intially developers put up with its properietry foundations. However it looks more and more like that promise has been broken. Currently I believe most of these comments wont hit home and support for Mac/Linux will wither away until its cancelled due to “not enough interest”. I do hope you prove me wrong
Neil Townsend
UK
Before u read this: I also have Windows XP and Skype is brillant, it’s my favourite IM app (MSN is Microsoft’s and it’s laggy and it’s for newbies; I loved ICQ but the “lite” new versions are MSN copies so it sucks now, never tried Y!IM and AIM… so here we are…). But now, i’ll be a linux user:
Skype for Linux is terribly horrible! It’s so so incredibly ugly, i wouldn’t be able to do such horrible application even if i tried!. Windows’ is fine, “of course”… I can live with the fact that I would use MSN at Linux for video chats (aMSN, or just Gaim, looks pretty), since most features are missing at Linux also till Skype v2 for Tux… ye, don’t even mention to me the deprecated OSS use T_T!! but oh my, look how it ruins my interfase:
http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshotzt6.png
this is why i don’t use Skype at Linux, i tell ppl to go on msn (even if i hate M$ =P) so i can use Gaim xD. Give me a reason to use Skype and i will!!!! xD