Developer Blog

rich.bradshaw commented Friday, Sep 11

I haven't ever used an Extras, partly because I've never heard of them.

On the other hand, developers are generally what attract customers - take Firefox as an example. People like it because they can do what they like with the software.

I have a feeling that in the long term this may be a mistake - perhaps promoting the good extras more would have been more sensible.

abfosky commented Friday, Sep 11

I'm a developer of a Skype Extra. This was poorly handled. We got an email notification that the program is being shut down this morning - at the same time that the news hit.

@rich.bradshaw - lack of visibility was exactly the problem. If Extras were made visible in the client and easy to install then the Extras program could have been a hit. It's a shame to see it killed off rather than improved.

cbuenger commented Saturday, Sep 12

Whatever caused this misunderstanding in Skype’s information: Pamela for Skype and PamFax for Skype will NOT BE AFFECTED by this change in Skype, as these products do not depend on the Skype Extras system.
See http://www.pamnews.com/2009/09/11/no-skype-extras-anymore/ for a detailed explanation.

-Christoph
Pamela & PamFax Team

wlima81 commented Sunday, Sep 13

Why does it have to be discontinued? I used the Extras, specially the games section to play with my brother in Brazil. It's a shame. It wasn't really a waste of money, right? The developers were paying for it.
I think that the partnership with eBay is the one which should be discontinued.

krzysztof.kluz commented Monday, Sep 14

In my opinion the problem of poor extras popularity was caused by lack of its promotion. I'm using Skype for many years but I now, for the first time, I've heard about extras

steven.parsloe commented Monday, Sep 14

We have a Skype Extra that's been very successful since we first launched just over a year ago – we’re now over 1.4 Million users. Skype has been growing at an extraordinary pace and with the new investors come new opportunities and new solutions. I’m confident that Skype is working on better ways to deliver value to their users. With growth comes change and the transition phase is sometimes disruptive - but Skype’s intentions are for delivering a better service. So let’s wait and see how applications are part of their new services.

queengeek commented Thursday, Sep 17

I've used skype for several years and have enjoyed several of the skype extras. I agree with most of the comments above that the "extras" weren't really marketed well. I think if it had, then they would have done well.

Apple has marketed the iPhone and apps store very well and although it's tightly controlled, many people develop apps for the iphone & ipod touch.....it's all about marketing folks.

This is a loss for everyone.

cheskapac commented Sunday, Sep 20

Hello. Where should I send a final invoice detailing the full amount of the gross revenue?

chrislain1634 commented Tuesday, Sep 22

Does that mean that it is no longer possible to develop applications using the Skype API ? And if no, are the applications / the skype API, is going to stay in the future ?
Thanks for letting me know. deom2 @ yahoo.com

igordii commented Friday, Oct 2

Skype Extras really made Skype for me.
As of now, I will look for a different IM.

You handled this in such an un caring, abrupt manner that you are hardly fit to offer a 'customer service' like this any more.

Like you say that extras are still available, but the "Extras tab" is not.

jameshnz commented Friday, Oct 2

Hi,I have been a Skype user for 3 years and this is the first time I have come across Skype extras in version 4.1 So guys, you have not been marketing this in the right way at all. Hope you will reconsider as some extras are great and I shall be using them

xtina-alexa commented Thursday, Oct 8

nooo=(((
my extras just dissapeared when i was about to play some games with my boyfriend=(((( y dont you just advertise it more, n then more people will play games. I discovered the extras only not long ago, but i have been using skype for couple of years.

weihmannt commented Saturday, Oct 24

I developed a few tools using the Public API and it really rocks. But I found that everything related to plugins/extras was really crappy and outdated, no support for modern development platforms like .NET, insufficient documentation plus overly complicated processes.

No wonder that the resulting products didn't offer much added value: There were a lot of simple crappy applications, for which one could easily find better Open Source alternatives, and a lack of serious tools, such for collaboration and project management which could come even close to Google Apps. So I am glad extras shut down - it was overdue.

Now you should focus more on the public API and extend it with neat features such Drag & Drop from the Skype application windows. Hoping for the best! Tobias

euphemism_treadmill commented Monday, Oct 26

I, too, for the record will say I found this blog because I was looking for a way to suggest a new Extra… which I’ve never used, but just found out about tonight, looking for a way to chat with multiple users. (FWIW, I was hoping maybe Skype had a Chinese chess game; you’ve got hella users on the Mainland, right?) I can’t say for sure whether or not I would have used m/any of them had I known, but it does seem that—I get enough annoying pop-ups about other Skype features I already know/don’t care about—maybe a little more promotion may have been in order.

tuckdesign commented Tuesday, Oct 27

I made one application for skype that allows taking screenshots and working on it and sending them directly through Skype (Screen Tool - http://www.tuckdesign.com/products/screen-tool). It is pitty that extras are shut down. But if public API will still exist we can still develop applications for Skype. Think only difference will be that developers will need to market their applications instead of Skype.
But question that comes to my mind is: will public API exist in future? It was there for application developers, and Skype had earnings from them. But now?

tuckdesign commented Tuesday, Oct 27

I made one application for skype that allows taking screenshots and working on it and sending them directly through Skype (Screen Tool - http://www.tuckdesign.com/products/screen-tool ). It is pitty that extras are shut down. But if public API will still exist we can still develop applications for Skype. Think only difference will be that developers will need to market their applications instead of Skype.
But question that comes to my mind is: will public API exist in future? It was there for application developers, and Skype had earnings from them. But now?

ling4142 commented Friday, Nov 13

Skype is evil because Skype will permanently keep your Skype account no matter what. After the time-wasting hassle of sending e-mail concerns and sending e-mail complaints regarding account deactivation and account cancellation when I don't need these guys, Skype is evil - because once you sign up, their genetically-engineered artificial toxic will preserve their names and their personal data so they will never decompose and will never corrode as they will linger throughout the servers of soul-less minds. If anything like this, Skype will end up becoming like a landfill full of unused accounts, making it not efficient and not good for the server environment.

So before you sign up at Skype, you better think of a good reason about why they will keep their account names for no reason. Skype is evil.

green_energy_initiative.org commented Monday, Nov 30

I did not know you had this - Do you know a person that can write me a program that will work from my phone? It dose not have to be a skype phone . Richard1900@yahoo,com

green_energy_initiative.org commented Monday, Nov 30

I did not know you had this - Do you know a person that can write me a program that will work from my phone? It dose not have to be a skype phone . Richard1900@yahoo,com

danthomsen1 commented Friday, Dec 11

So.. i figured Hey i'll give it a try. I'll try to make a simple game just for kicks.
I google and find http://skype.easybits.com/
I then download and install the Skype SDK.
I also instrall the Puplishing Studio.
I begin reading through the almost non existing material until i find a link in the SDK explorer to this page.
Then a post in this page says that extras are dead.
Even on https://developer.skype.com/ under "Most Downloaded" is the Extras SDK.

Very uncool.

eharkreader commented Monday, Dec 21

OK. I know nothing about developer, etc. functions. But I was a loyal Skype user, and had used the games features -- specifically chess -- for years. Now it appears it no longer works. Bring it back. Charge a fee. I'd gladly pay (and hate having to use a third-party that I have no other customer relationship). If anyone else reads this and has a suggestion for a good online chess program, I'd greatly appreciate a suggestion: fatboy9540@hotmail.com. The new Skype blows!

lefty5551 commented Friday, Jan 22

Why does it have to be discontinued? I used the Extras, specially the games section to play with my friends while we talked I thought it was a great Idea
we were trying to decide which games to buy so we could keep playing and know it is being discontinued bad Idea.

Lefty5551

lefty5551 commented Friday, Jan 22

Why does it have to be discontinued? I used the Extras, specially the games section to play with my friends while we talked I thought it was a great Idea
we were trying to decide which games to buy so we could keep playing and know it is being discontinued, bad Idea.

Lefty5551

dima_sound commented Monday, Jan 25

My little son 5 years old lives very far from me and we playing on Extras Games together almost every evening! It was only one way for fun time while playing chess, and other incredible logical games. I'm very disappointed about Skype will no longer certify new Extras...
Well.. Thank you, Skype for all of this incredible time with my son and for the opportunity to getting us closer.

tas2222 commented Sunday, Jan 31

Do you have plans to start something similar in future? Or this site is totally closed for ever?

van.tate.jr commented Wednesday, Feb 3

Not that it matters much to the "powers that be" at Skype, but this is a bad mood. Hacks (extras) are a huge plus for any software. I usually wont use any software that I cannot tinker with or find someone that has implemented a feature that I want/need that the developers don't think is viable in the overall feature-set.

Perhaps the problem is not development support, but the management?

grandon30 commented Friday, Feb 12

It is very disappointing that Skype discontinued the support for the extras. There must be some way that Skype could benefit financially form making the extras available. And Skype would certainly create a lot of good will among its users.
I think that the management of Skype should use the extras as an opportunity to increase the number of skype users, not to alianate the existing users of Skype. Please reconsider your decision carefully.
Grandon30

predator_mf commented Thursday, Mar 4

It's a shame it has to end...but that was about to happen when the useful and well written extras are about 5 of 200, people get bloated with buggy software messing up their cameras, installing tons of prerequisites like .NET and databases. You should have thought of this earlier, when promoting an extra with the "Skype Certified" logo for just the 500 EU, you just had to pick the working tools better and promote them more. Most of the people using our extra don't even know there's a menu called "Extras", people usually just chat. Plus, I feel like there was too much freedom for developers, many extras promoting as "Free" are actually "free trial" or there's a trick behind that will make you pay in a period.

classical_guitar37 commented Tuesday, Mar 30

I´d rather that the skype extras keep beign here... i love to play with friends by that way and i dont want they be remove.

clayderpeople commented Tuesday, Mar 30

Yo soy el Rudo Rivera y es necesario que continúen los extras de Skype porque me gusta jugar con otras personas de Skype. No los quiten por favor (Spanish). Greetings from the Netherlands.

classical_guitar37 commented Tuesday, Mar 30

Estoy de acuerdo con el Rudo, esto debe seguir... sino sigue nos dejan boring... sean comprensivos. Best regards

clayderpeople commented Tuesday, Mar 30

Quiten los extas actuales pero saquen otros aun mejores . Atte. El Rudo Rivera. (punch).