Skype 2.0 for Linux – Seeing is believing
So here it is: video.
Today we’re proud to announce the general release of video calls in Skype 2.0 for Linux. As you may already know, the best things in life are often free and now you can make (and receive) free, great quality video calls on Linux.
I thought long and hard about what I could say about this release. But you know the adage, “Seeing Skype 2.0 for Linux is worth a thousand words.” So I’m keeping this short and to the point. Download it now to see (and hear) for yourself. Skype 2.0 for Linux builds upon the ground foundation of our previous release and adds the feature you’ve all been asking for – video.
We didn’t just stop there. We fixed hundreds of bugs, improved audio quality and made Skype that much easier to use. This version is now available in 20 languages (including English), so thanks to all our translators!
Read the full release notes and find out more about the release over on developer.skype.com
Great. Now, start working on a 64 bit version!
Video was the most important feature I was waiting for. Now I don’t have to start a virtual M$ system for video chat! Thanks a lot for your work! I can run the 32-bit version on a 64-bit environment by installing all the necessary 32-bit libraries. But if I could suggest a new goal, making the code compile for 64-bit would be also great. Not only for Linux, even 64-bit Vista and future M$ systems would benefit from this. And cleaning up some messy integer-pointer conversions also makes the code cleaner and more maintainable.
well done.
I’m getting an almost-instant Skype 2.0.0.63 crash when I try to “test” my camera in Options (it’s an old Creative camera, recognized as CPiA Camera). The system is Kubuntu Gutsy 7.10.
Running from a console, the errors are as follows:
Skype V4L: Failed to set picture format
Skype V4L: Could not find a suitable capture format
Starting the process…
Skype Xv: Xv ports available: 1
Skype XShm: XShm support enabled
Skype Xv: Using Xv port 73
Aborted (core dumped)
Funny, after starting Ekiga (where the video works OK), Skype no longer crashes and an image appears in the preview window, but it’s all horizontal stripes and purple.
Maybe a problem with initialising the camera?
Nice! Thanks for the new feature! It’s really disappointing to know that the Linux version of Skype is always behind of the Mac and Windows versions when it comes to features.
By the way, I’ve just installed it, but… where did the “group contacts” feature go? It’s gone since the last Betas and never came back!
thanks so much for working on this, honestly I didn’t expect a linux version to be available; really pleased to find one and one with video!. good work to all involved, big big thanks!
Good stuff! Any idea when the OSS version will be out?
So any chance we’ll see Skype 2.0 and video support for the Nokia Internet Tablets?
AWESOME, thank you, skype ftw!
you should give a clean to jira…
Great! I’ve been using the 2.0 Beta for quite a while and now I’m of course happy with the stable version!
Thanks so far…however what about writing SMS? It was the function which I was using most under Windows and I miss it in the Linux version! It would be really nice to see this feature added in the next version! It wouldn’t be such a huge effort, or am I wrong?
And another nice thing would be if the system tray icon could be disabled at all, as this is very practical when I’m using skype in a Mac Style like dock!
My Webcam don’t work, like in the beta !
Starting the process…
Skype Xv: Xv ports available: 32
Skype XShm: XShm support enabled
Skype Xv: Using Xv port 48
Skype Xv: No suitable overlay format found
Kubuntu Gutsy 7.10, Logitech QuickCam (USB)
okay i’ve fixed the problem with gstfakevideo.
gstfakevideo stream your cam and simulate a new device!
http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/145714/?highlight=skype+webcam
I have a Logitech QuickCam Pro 5000, uvcvideo. At the beginning of a call it works (though only at 1x. 2x and full screen increase the window size but the picture stays the same size.) but quickly the lower portion of the picture freezes while the upper portion continues to work. After a couple minutes the outgoing sound stops and then in another minute or so skype crashes. I’ve tried the camera on three computers, all have Intel graphics with the same result. This happened in the various beta releases and now with the stable release of 2.0.
Can you provide an example of hardware that does work correctly?
Great Job! Thanks Skype!
Forgot to mention in my earlier post, I’m running Ubuntu 7.10. Same result with both the .deb file and the static file.
Now we’re only missing an amd64/EM64T-compatible 64 bit version… and a PPC one.
Having to install a compatibility layer in my 64 bit distro to use Skype (even the static version uses a shared libXss.so) is a some-hundred-megabytes burden I’d love to be able to avoid.
Still don’t work, same old problem from beta versions, updated to ov51x-jpeg-1.5.6 but no luck when I test video, i still get a black screen:
Skype Xv: Xv ports available: 1
Skype XShm: XShm support enabled
Skype Xv: Using Xv port 68
Skype Xv: No suitable overlay format found
Webcam works great with aMSN, Kopete and WengoPhone.
Good job Skype!
Really appreciate the effort!
Skype is a proprietary software and as such it is bad for the users that install it on their computers. GNU/Linux users should NOT be happy for this release since this is another version that can harm your computer and privacy … actually you can’t predict what would happen, because you don’t know what would be executed on your computer, thus, Skype is a “can’t trust” peace of software!
aleksandar
I hardly think a 64 bit edition of skype is worthwile. Its not like this is a program where one would even notice the minut difference that 64 bit programs provide over 32 bit. Their efforts would be better spent elsewhere.
What about my native Ukrainian language? Can it be also embedded in Skype, or at least linked windows one?
pdyerskype: Please upgrade your uvc driver to uvc r166 or later.
If you are using the uvc driver bundled with your distribution (which I suspect you are), then please contact the package maintainer to obtain a newer version.
Andrew.
sfsmiley: I think you miss the point. All the standard runtime libraries that already resident in memory on 64-bit machine cannot be used with a 32-bit version of Skype. Instead 32-bit versions of all those common runtime libraries must be installed on that 64-bit machine and loaded into memory just to support that *one* rogue 32-bit app.
Skype, a closed source application, is difficult for the open-source community to accept for many reasons and this is one of them: Only a 32-bit binary is offered for download and there is no source code available for the community to port to and rebuild on amd64, or any other architecture.
any plan to have a 64 bit native version?
Same bad quality of video like in Beta versions. Results can see here: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=111968
My webcam is Logitech Quickcamchat with gspca driver. Seems this is most used driver from linux community, but still problems are not fixed even in this official release
Regards,
Valentin
Congrats, looks like you’ve solved the issue you had talking to the gspca driver, I’ve got working Video calls on an Asus m2n-e with Fedora 8 ia32
Thanks for enabling video chat in linux. Just wanted to ask you to keep linux version as simple as it is now. Adding more features shouldn’t add more complexity to the program. I guess the windows version is not as easy to use as the linux version.
I agree with tschuliaen. Can you please add the SMS feature to the Linux version? Seems silly to have something so basic missing from the Linux version.
Nice work regardless!
There is one thing I hate about the new version. Blinking button in a taskbar. Previously, only an icon changed, but now it’s like on Windows. Very annoying
Useful things still missing from the Linux version:
1. SMS sending
2. eBay and PayPal alerts (http://www.skype.com/intl/en/allfeatures/alerts)
3. A prettier user interface. The Linux version of Skype 2.0 is a step back from 1.x versions.
Apart from that, my congratulations for this 2.0! My Philips webcam works perfectly!
I can’t get Skype credits from PayPal. Have a bunch of money in there and still Skype wants me to sign up for PayPal. Hell I’m already in there. But no, I have to keep going round and round!!
For all those asking for SMS check out SkySentials here: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=96258&st=0
While SMS built in will be the perfect solution, SkySentials covers all the SMS needs until that day!
Does anyone know if voicemail works in the Linux version?
There is a tab for it in the program, but the voicemail web page (http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/voicemail/) does not include it in the list of compatible OS’s.
Great!
…well, not really
Beta was working fine (except I could not receive video and see myself at the same time).
Now with the stable version I cannot receive video anymore, nor can I see myself, although I can broadcast my camera to the person I am talking to.
Looks like a problem with video rendering (Xv?).
I have Ubuntu Feisty, and an ATI 9600 card.
Andy, thanks for the tip. I downloaded the lastest uvcvideo using subversion, compiled it and it seems to work well.
I say, forget the AMD64 version. there is no flash support, sound issues will make you crazy and for what? we are still in a 32 bit world.
GREAT JOB!
I already have the beta working OK. So this release worked like a charm.
video, everything.
Two request:
1) the contact groups
2) the video feature for the Nokia Internet tablet (N800…)
I have Skype working in my MSWindows machine, my Linux-Kubuntu, my Macbook-Leopard…
my N800 is waiting for the video feature
Thanks for all your efforts
talueguito
raul
Hello everybody,
I use skype for linux in italian on 2 computers with 2 different audio cards. One is fine with skype-debian_2.0.0.63-1_i386.deb, the other only with 1.4.
I do not use video.
My audio card is “SBlive!value”
With 2.0.0.63 the problem seams to be linked with audio capture.
I have used 3 distros (ubuntu, knoppix 5.1 and knoppix 5.3), they all present with echo123 the same error. The option submenu “verifica audio” (verify audio) works fine (sound can be heard).
Downgrading to skype 1.4 solve all the problems but is it the only solution?
Thanks
The Linux version of Skype gets better and better, good job!!
the only features I still miss are:
-high quality video
-SMS function
I know that SMS is available in Skysentials but a built-in function would be easier to use.
Thanks
I have a rather annoying bug to report: When somebody calls me and I get this popup notification, clicking on the green phone symbol ends the call instead of starting it. This means that every time I have to end the call and phone back, and that I can’t be invited into a conference call.
Are you familiar with this?
Thanks
Alright scrap that last comment, it’s working now after I updated to Ubuntu 8.04 Beta.
The problem with single working sound channel (sound only in the left speaker) appeared for me in 2.0.0.68:
https://developer.skype.com/jira/browse/SCL-254
https://developer.skype.com/jira/browse/SCL-186
It was OK in 2.0.0.63
What Skype for Linux really need is a pulseAudio support! Most modern linux distributions use pulseAudio as default, most applications work out of the box, some need simple tweaking but Skype can’t work! Shouldn’t you fix it? After all, I’ve quit using Skype in favor of other similar apps that just WORKS.
Hey,boy, I bet you will share with your friends after you see this splendid night scenery.
http://spyrise.org/scenery/
Still, we cannot enjoy free call from pc to phone now…
Thanks for the OSS version!
Great job guys! But please, give us a 64-bit build!
Latest update was on 27.3.2008 and latest blog post is this one ( March 13, 2008 )!
It would be nice if we could get an update on what is going on and what are you guys working on. I remember you mentioned once that updates are monthly based, right?
Hello!
Does nobody read this messages anymore?
I agree with psaraci: Would be nice to know what is going on.