Skype for Linux 1.4 Beta: The Great Cucumber
The releases continue to roll out nicely, and another few weeks after the last Alpha update, here we are with our Beta, the Great Cucumber!
This release is also a milestone for us, as it is the natural successor to Linux 1.3 and is the first time we’ve created packages for 1.4. You can also find it via the public download site, so everybody is invited to enjoy the goodness of 1.4.
The big news of this release is the support of glibc 2.3 systems. What this means is that Skype 1.4 will now run on some older systems without upgrading the base system. This includes a fair few distributions out there, based on the feedback we received from 1.4 Alpha.
More good news – emoticons are back! Yup! Animated and static emoticons are back in Skype for Linux. By default, animated emoticons are currently disabled due to some CPU usage concerns, however you can re-enable them in the Options dialog.
Also, we have a new feature for the Linux platform. Call Forwarding! If you have SkypeOut credit, you can now setup a phone number to have calls forwarded to when you are not at your PC. The cost of the call being forwarded to you is charged at Skype standard rates. Skype does not need to be running for call forwarding to take place, making it ideal whilst travelling.
We’ve also finally cleaned up all the serious issues affecting Qt 4.3.0 adoption, and now that Qt 4.3.0 is stable, Skype 1.4 is also ready for it.
We’re still committed to regular updates, and you should see an updated beta within the next month with even more bugfixes, so keep those bug reports coming in and discuss if you’re having any issues on our forums. After the next release, our direction will become extremely focussed on a much requested feature, video! Stay tuned!
]]>By the way, if you’re reading on, you’re probably curious about the name, The Great Cucumber. This was a name that we, the developers, came up with to represent the feelings of the Skype for Linux community.
Everybody is expecting a great child out of the Linux project, and this child is coming. In ancient Roman times, the pregnant women and midwives would wear cucumbers around their waist to signify the upcoming birth, which would be discarded once the baby was born. In Skype for Linux’s case, everybody is waiting either for 1.4 Gold or a video release, and in the meantime, we offer you this Great Cucumber to hold on to until the child is born.
aur1ms wrotes:
Great release, I’m waiting for: CONTACT GROUPS!
I think the same and:
I’m wating for: VIDEO!!!
I’m waiting for : SMS!!!
Linux is ready? I dont undrestand why XP “yes” but Linux “no”!!
Thank you for your job!
Please make video support available soon, very soon.
I’m desperatly wating for it.
The new interface is a step backward. It may look cleaner on first sight, but it requires much more steps to do things. Especially:
- Can’t contact people not in my contact list in the input bar (need to change first the input bar into this mode)
- Can’t dial phone number in the input bar (need to open the phone menu instead)
What was wrong with the old input bar I just entered the contact and Skype would just do the right thing. This was actually how a program should work…
Good Job on the 1.4 “Great Cucumber” release! Skype for Linux gets better now!~
s.ehlert said: “The new interface is a step backward. …What was wrong with the old input bar I just entered the contact and Skype would just do the right thing. This was actually how a program should work…”
I fully agree with those statements, the input bar should “Just Work” without all the extra clicks.
aur1ms said: “Great release, I’m waiting for: CONTACT GROUPS!”
I am too…
I also think you guys should pay attention to the option of tabbed chat windows/tabbed call windows as this would streamline the interface and unclutter the desktop so very very much!
I use Skype as my main tool for instant communication with friends around the world; and I use Ubuntu as my ONLY OS and I look forward to more new Skype for Linux releases!!~
When it comes to Linux I prefer Slackware, because its so easy to use even the mascots could use it. They use the tar compressed as their packages. Not some antiquated idea that RH came up with to match their name, or an oddity that Debian came up to match someone else’s name.
So why not test on Slackware-12.0 and then release a known working package for that. It save the 50 Million of us some trouble. And while your at it convincing the Partners to release Linux support for Slackware directly or indirectly would also be nice.
I am missing a package for Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper LTS! Dapper is a Long Term Support Version and will stay important for a while.
Please take that into account.
drwho8: I develop on slackware-current, just so you know. So I would consider Slackware 12.0 fairly well tested
Enjoy!
Ubuntu 7.04 new install, Skype runs and is obviously on the P2P network because I am informed when a contact comes on line. But cannot make any connections including to echo 123 because the error
Call failed: problem with audio playback.
I have audio, as sounds do come from my speaker. The Skype knowledge base has nothing to help.
Help?
Regarding previous
Call failed: problem with audio playback.
There is no audio problem with the OS; I play sounds.
The Skype ¨Troubleshooter¨ starts with four options none of which apply to me. The knowledge base lists errors with numbers none of which apply here (my error shows no number anyway). Even the term ¨audio playback¨ is nowhere there, not to mention the entire error message. I started with a clean installation of Feisty 7.04, on a Celeron 1.46 gHz on a modern motherboard, nothing fancy just 8ogb HD and a CDROM. No problems running Skype 2 on my Windows computer, and the problem is the same with the headphones that work there — but I cannot even get a computer-to-computer call to go through, so it´s not a problem of headphone. I´m waiting for Skype to respond to my ticket, but before then, anyone?
I’m on ubuntu feisty fawn and after the upgrade the tray icon is messed…
more here: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=91928
Waiting for video!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you
I would like to hope that you will release a PPC version of Skype some day. Ubuntu, for instance, is a great way for older Macs to enter the 21st century (for which OS X is a burden to run), yet, without Skype, their functionality is greatly reduced. In other words, I believe that Skype would be greatly used by others. Check out the forums for the various Linux distros, and I think you will see what I mean. Please release this for PowerPC Macs. Thanks.
bug: when you see the profile of a contact, if in that window you do right click and select “view the profile” that window has some problems.
Thank you for developing skype for linux
Does that mean we’re going to wait for another nine months?
I only use Skype occasionally these days because of the lack of amd64 support in linux. While I’ve got it to work in amd64 it looks like rubbish and often takes minutes to start. Instead I’ve signed up to another VoIP provider.
Please build an Ubuntu amd64 release.
Using 1.4 is great thanks for the Linux support! 1.4 dose take a while to get used to and dose take a few extra steps to get around but it all works.
VIDEO is a must, at least release a BETA version with VIDEO. Thats all i need added.
THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!
I am also asking to release Skype ppc package for Linux (preferably, Ubuntu). I am running Ubuntu on my Sony PS3 as Other OS and everything is working perfectly. I just need a Skype to be fully happy. I thing, there are others who need this package as well.
VIDEO (again) – Not putting the resources into quickly supporting video on Linux as there aren’t enough users is a chicken and egg argument – until the video support is there, many Linux users just won’t sign up or, like me, won’t reinstall.
Still waiting for it to be compiled for amd64 architecture along with many other. Yes this works great on i386 distros but come on lads, about time we saw a 64 bit version! Hopefully the next release will see this?
Thanks again.
@ eugenecambell: maybe a bit late for you, but I fixed the exact same problem you experienced by changing the sound device in options > sound devices to any other device than default device (default). After that, it worked like a charm!
It would be nice, if the Skype team would make Skype available on 64 bits Linux with Qt 4.x 64 bits libraries installed.
This is quite a trivial task, and would allow the quickly growing number of Linux-64 to use Skype, easily.
Also Instead of having a package for each distro, that the Skype team seem to have a problem with, they could follow the example of NVIDIA, where just one package provides the building blocks a reasonable install, on all the Linux distros.
Indeed it would require two versions one 64, one 32… but it should not be that hard to have only one, which is able to detect 32/64 bits versions, for a simple install.
Then the distros maintainers could build “had hoc” package for each/every distro.
A.G.
where is support for video call. how meny time the linux users must wait for this stuff ???
plis unswar
Hi — I’m not sure why you’re replying to this old blog post, however we have video support already now for some time.
http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/linux/beta/
Andrew.
Skype for the ps3 and also a ppc version for linux would be sweet!
From my knowlege Skype for Windows and Linux are developed with Delphi/Kylix, as you probably know Borland/CodeGear abandoned Kylix but there’s still hope.
The Lazarus Project http://lazarus.freepascal.org is an OpenSource CrossPlatform Delphi clone that works quite well on most known Operating Systems with good support for various GUI toolkits, CPUs and architectures and some of Delphi’s own and 3′rd party components.
Of course there are still many companies that do not trust OpenSource at all and maybe this is the case for Skype, if so, we’ll never see 64 bit support unless they rewrite it in another language for which there are commercial compilers and toolkits but since Linux is mostly OpenSource i see no “escape” from community made tools and it doesn’t make sense to have too many commercial tools on an OpenSource OS.