Skype for Linux Team Updates
Some of you may have noticed things have been a bit quiet in regards to Skype for Linux lately. I wanted to take this time to give you all an update of what the Linux team have been working on since our last release.
- MID
- Better Audio Quality
- SMS
- Hiring!
Mobile devices such as Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and NetBooks are the future for Linux. Since the launch of the ASUS Eee PC, demand for Linux has never been stronger. We’ve been working very hard to build a next-generation Linux client specifically tailored to devices with small screens (such as the Eee PC) and those with no keyboards or mice – such as MIDs. The Linux team’s desk has transformed over the past year from having messy desks covered in desktop PCs to messy desks covered in mobile devices. Here are some screenshots of what we’ve been working on:
We’ve had some of the Linux team move over to our Audio team where they will be focusing completely on improving the audio engine used on Skype for Linux, and how it interfaces with the Sound Systems used on Linux. We want to ensure that you have the best audio experience possible on all platforms, regardless if you pay for Skype (or your Operating System for that matter!) or not.
Thanks to one of our (very) excellent Beta testers, Philipp Kolmann has written a plug-in for Skype for Linux that enables you to send SMS with Skype 2.0 for Linux. We love this plug-in but we’re working to include SMS into the Skype client on Linux to ensure that people on Linux get the same great experience as that on other platforms.
Can you write Qt? Do you love Linux? Maybe Skype’s the place for you – We’re hiring. Apply over at jobs.skype.com or get in contact.
I am disgusted with the way paying customers are treated, only because we use Linux. Even though Skype may receive less revenue overall from Linux users due to there being less of us, I still give around $200 per year. I should have the same features and stability as the other platforms, plus why do we not hear anything from the developer for months at a time? One paragraph explaining where he is developing would suffice.
I’m close to telling everyone i know to explore open source alternatives, no matter how hard it would be to swap their program use to something new.
@ramon.parada
My problem with Qt is not the theme, but the libraries I have to install just because of Skype. (Please don’t tell me to switch to KDE)
I thin that the best solution is to make good skype api, docs and library and let the client to the developers from other multicommunicators like kopete etc. etc.
Besides, there are better solutions than weak linux skype that are open, free and just work good.
@danielrmt
You do not need to install KDE but only the Qt library which often is installed by default on most Linux distros. KDE and Qt are totally two different things. If you still prefer not installing Qt on your system then you can simply use the static package of Skype. Hope this helps.
huh? how comes new builds for version 4 (!!!) in windows are appearing nearly weekly and now a version 2.5 for windows mobile has been released…and now talks about MID platform skype…
definitely skype doesn’t care about GNU/Linux platform..just loads of talk but no actual thing done. Skype is hugely paid and they earn zig millions and they are not able to build a newer version for linux? are you kidding me?
just promises for a MID version etc… show me a version which can be used in linux and then we’ll talk. for the moment the version 2 beta (still beta…) is worse than pidgin!!!
@psaraci
I know Qt and KDE are different things, but it is still a library I have to install only because of Skype. Here are the Qt packages I have in my system just because of skype (output from sudo aptitude remove –purge skype):
libqt4-assistant{pu} libqt4-core{pu} libqt4-dbus{pu} libqt4-designer{pu}
libqt4-gui{pu} libqt4-network{pu} libqt4-opengl{pu} libqt4-qt3support{pu}
libqt4-script{pu} libqt4-sql{pu} libqt4-sql-mysql{pu} libqt4-svg{pu}
libqt4-test{pu} libqt4-xml{pu} libqtcore4{pu} libqtgui4{pu}
qt4-qtconfig{pu} skype
They use 51MB!!!
Right now I’ll look for this static version, thanks for the tip.
@seba_w_pracy
Yes, I agree with you. With a good skype API/library, the community would develop a GTK client, but the protocol would still be closed, and skype would still earn all his money.
Right now, there’s a plugin for pidgin, but it requires you to open skype, so it can’t help very much. I still have to keep 51MB with Qt libraries.
@seba_w_pracy
Exactly. This is the main lack of whole the skype thing. For the linux fellow it would have been good enough to provide NO GUI and just a proprietary library that cares with their proprietary protocols ans so on.
Things would be much faster and people which don’t like QT can easily write their own GTK+ alternative or wathever else they like.
Speaking of the actual linux skype GUI, so it’s an abort.
Only the missing of tabbed windows make it useless and completely annoying.
@seba_w_pracy
Exactly. This is the main lack of whole the skype thing. For the linux fellow it would have been good enough to provide NO GUI and just a proprietary library that cares with their proprietary protocols ans so on.
Things would be much faster and people which don’t like QT can easily write their own GTK+ alternative or wathever else they like.
Speaking of the actual linux skype GUI, so it’s an abort.
Only the missing of tabbed windows make it useless and completely annoying.
No any news for a long time… When we can hope to see the next version released?
…just another disappointed GNU/Linux user wondering when Skype will release it’s next version or give up and just give the community the tools to do it on its own. My Skype usage would be a lot higher if frankly I could just send SMSs without Python…
To Skype:
you should be ashamed for your linux Skype. there aren’t other words to say about this.
To QT haters:
what the hell is your problem with QT4??? LOL! now, or you are ignorant or stupid. You prefer GTK2 to QT4? Then this means you don’t understand anything about software and coding. Just shut up with your nonsence discussions about 50mb and such things. Anyways, no one is reading us, especially the skype team. Actually, there is no team. I hope the shit we get from them is made from 1 guy or else they should change job.
to bulletfx:
You can’t force people to like what you like or either you’re ignorant too. Personally I don’t enjoy QT but I like GTK+, others can think different and may like whatever graphical toolkit they are used to. Stupid is to design a monolith software that doesn’t easily allow to write your own graphical frontend.
give me one reason that makes sense for saying you don’t enjoy QT. I’m ready to bet 100 dollars you don’t have 1 single reason for saying such a thing. anyways, to stay on topic, come on Skype team…. it’s year 2009… with all the money you have you could even create from scratch an OS…
I’m afraid you lost 100 dollars:)
I don’t enjoy C++ so by reflex I don’t enjoy Qt too. I prefer good old C.
good morning skype, wecki wecki! new version please!
For those who just like to play around with new toys, we’ve got the MID client available now for download.
Note, that the MID client isn’t meant to be a replacement for the Linux desktop client (development there is still continuing), however you may find it fun to play around with.
http://blogs.skype.com/sites/garage/2009/01/skype_for_mids_beta.html
Maybe there are no technical reasons to prefer GTK over Qt, as there are no reasons to prefer Qt over GTK. It’s the same debate as religion. This is another reason to separate the GUI and the protocol, allowing community to write their own GUI, keeping the protocol library closed. Forget it, I don’t expect this to happen anyway.
And for those who don’t like to play around but would rather like to have a usable version of Skype, do you have something that actually works properly with alsa ? How many years before that happens ?
xinoef: 1.4, 2.0 and the MID client all work with ALSA. They do not play nicely with PulseAudio currently. PulseAudio support is expected in the next desktop Linux release.
It’ll be really great if you will post news about new version development a little bit more often… Just some kind of review of the new features… As for now, Skype works with PulseAudio terribly, and Pulse is included into the major distributions, such as Ubuntu, OpenSuse and Fedora…
andypoo: that would make it usable on 90% of the linux installs, so that would be great. Which one has the priority, MID or PulseAudio ? Which inevitably leads to the next question: when ? Let’s consider Ubuntu which is likely to be your user base’s average distribution, Pulse Audio has been the default sound server since April 2008. For Fedora, it has been since November 2007 !
I happen to be a fedora user, and for now more than a year, your product has been unreliable. What are we, users (or at least trying to be), supposed to think ?
Yes, I realise the next version is grossly overdue, and this has been a pattern previously with Skype for Linux releases. And I fully appreciate your frustration with it.
We haven’t had a new release (ie. new major version) since November 2007 (the video release was already being wrapped up at this time), so it’s not like we’ve been blindly ignoring PulseAudio. As I mentioned, it’s a focus for the next release – so just hang in there Hopefully we can make you happy again soon.
Hi skypers,
I’ve spent hours getting Skype to work properly since I bought my Asus eeepc – there are soooo many problems! Maybe someone can give me a few tips?
contacts:
Weeks ago I sent out requests to my skyper friends for contact details, but nobody ever confirmed; today one of these friends and I happened to be online at the same time, and he skyped me, telling me that he had got the request moments ago. Does that mean that they would receive the request only if both of us were online at the same time? That means that people in inconvenient time zones would hardly ever be online at the same time, doesn’t it?
I also sent out my skype name in emails, but my friends told me they could not find me with that name, although my account obviously exists (I have used it to make calls to telephones, and with that one friend who got my request).
video calls:
Yes, I have the latest Skype version (that’s what the installation manager tells me when I try to install the latest download);
yes, when I open a Skype contact, the window shows the camera icon – when I click on it, it says ” this contact is configured for video use”;
yes, the camera is on and working – but within skype the picture from the webcam does not show, and if my Skype partner tries to send his webcam image, it does not open in my Skype window.
What can I do to make it work?
sms:
When you use Skype in Windows, there is an option to send sms directly to a Skype partner (if you right-click on a contact, you find “send sms” in the drop-down menu) -
in Linux, however, there is no sms option in the right-click drop-down menu.
Is that just (still?) missing in the Linux version of Skype, or can I do anything to get this function?
Thanks in advance, guys & gals!
Doro
It sure would be nice to see better video quality on linux. I suspect my QuickCam Communicate Deluxe is being underutilized.
Dear all,
I am new on Ubuntu (since yesterday) and I am very excited to learn more about all the possibilities here. I frequently used skype on vista or xp before, and I was used to send sms. Now I am wondering, how can I install the feature on Skype 2? I just did not get it how it is working and I tried to download the applications, but nothing. Could please somebody help me?
Thank you very much:)
A new skype is very much overdue for linux, but not only for the mid market, those of us that use the 64-bit operating systems would very much appreciate a native skype. And please suppost pulse audio, microphones are a hastle to set up.
As for the netbooks, in my house hold there are 4, 1 windows and 3 linux netbooks, a more updated interface would be also extremely welcome.
thought nice to hear that work is being done.
In my house there are 2 machines – both run Fedora Linux. I would also apreciate a beta testing version. With the current one I am having problems with my webcam since it’s crashing all the time. It’s been doing this since Fedora ported the drivers into the Kernel, so something changed in the libraries. The webcam works in other programs in Linux, but not in Skype. I did several kernel updates since then, but nothing has changed. I am looking forward to the new upcoming release and especially to the 64 bit version too! JUST RELEASE ONE!
When will you support vga resolution on linux? It’s a real pity cause the picture looks ugly compared to the pictures sent by Mac or Windows users although even the cheapest webcams now support 640×480 or even 1280×960 resolutions. It still makes me feel second class skype customer being on a first class OS.
Please add a send button next to the text chat.
I wonder how many Linux:Skype users are using Skype Credits?
Aside from waiting for the newer version of Linux that hopefully has support for 64-bit, I was curious if the functionality of the new one would have a more welcoming feeling. The current feel of Linux Skype 2.0 is alittle dry and featureless, but we need more functionality owards chats, and calling, and 64 bit support.
Hii!!
Any news?
We are waiting…
I would love to hear current news on 4.0 for Linux…….. Anything….. Teasers..
Would appreciate a Skype 4.0 Linux even for beta testing. When is it planned for ?
Hi,
Skype team, just clueing you in that there is a real need in the linux world right now for a new version of skype, especially one that will support pulseaudio and not do odd things to the cpu usage of my system. The sooner you can get around to releasing even a beta (might even take an alpha for a spin) the sooner I can get back to using ubuntu jaunty. Thanks.
Bring it on – it has been too long. I’d be thrilled to try a beta when it is available.
Bump! Please act on this promise skype! I need better audio support in linux. (ubuntu jaunty). Skype is pretty much unusable in it’s current form. Also v4l support, but I have a workaround for that (LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype).
Thanks in advance..
[singing]Why are we waaaaaaiting / we are suffooooooocating…[/singing]
OMG! i’ve got an idea! It’ll be the most awesome feature ever, and it’s fairly easy to implement over a couple of days! what about making the linux client work again, even when talking to people who is using the operating system that the new skype supports?! think about it, being able to do instant messaging again, not having to see your message just come up with the error symbol for about 2 minutes before the skype 4.x people receives it?! of course, this is not first priority, i mean, why would people using skype 2 talk to people using skype 4? at least i don’t think the average user would really expect such a feature from a software such as skype, i mean, you’re not microsoft:p
Also, the new user interface looks good, what about releasing it as a bitmap? That way skype would consume almost no resources at all, freeing 99% of the cpu-usage it otherwise would consume when idle on linux!
All of the features you are planning are great, but if it takes 10 years to develop it, what is the point? How about releasing SOMETHING that works now but with only one added feature. If you focused on one componentized feature at a time, you might be able to release something every month to two months.
Well, it has been 10 months since this announcement. And no new Skype for (Ubuntu) Linux. What is going with Skype for Linux? Is the Skype for Linux project dead? Could a moderator or some other Skype team member let us know?
I hope you are still developing the client for Linux, the 2.0-series client is ugly, and it’s web camera support isn’t actually up-to-date. I know Linux and all the libraries are developing rapidly, and that is also a bad thing, but still… Anyway, thanks for the app in the first place, it has saved me quite a few pennies!
Epic FAIL.
This is why there are other clients.
@Skype team:
If you are unable to develop with reasonable patches, bug fixes, updates, and the like please pick one of the following:
a. wide-band alpha/beta testing
b. open sauce it
c. create full api support for everything skype does with excellent documentation so we can do the work for you.
There’s been enough time to rewrite the thing from scratch with a 3 man team.
Are you going to update the linux client or have you pulled the plug on development? Many of us have given up hope by now. Why not keep the users informed if Skype for Linux is dead and buried or if there is a new version coming out?
Best regards,
Lars