7 ms·

I've used the Linux version of Skype. It's rather bare-bones.

damncabbage 15y ago
Which is great. It does pretty much everything the Windows client does (chat, voice, video, desktop sharing), without the big, gaudy, annoying interface. I fear that it'll just go away, or actively get shut down by compatibility changes. (My friends and I practically live on Skype. The one killer feature for us is persistent chatrooms; it's like IRC, except when I log in I get all the missing chat history I didn't get while I was logged out.)
- lurker19 15y ago
  What version of Skype and Linux do you have that doesn't have the giant interface and a dozen windows open at once to show a dozen chats?
- Dylan16807 15y ago
  The linux client is missing a critical feature for me: joining an in-progress audio call. One call I'm in is almost always running, and the host is often not there to add me. I end up running windows skype in a VM when I'm on linux.
  - navs 15y ago
    Yes, I found this very annoying. I remember the previous OSX version was also missing this and I often got laughed at because I couldn't join a call. Apparently this was Steve Jobs fault or something along those lines.
- 13Psibies 15y ago
  Skype is demonstrably worse on Linux. Aside from it's tendency to lock up, its support for conference calls is wrong; for example, if you're in a call, and call out to a phone number it offers to add the new call to the conference after you've made the request.
- alnayyir 15y ago
  >it's like IRC, except when I log in I get all the missing chat history I didn't get while I was logged out What? screen + irssi + /lastlog your_nick
  - damncabbage 15y ago
    1) Four of those friends are not technical, and wouldn't know what to do with irssi. The remainder are using laptops that get disconnected a lot. 2) I reboot to Windows to play games. There goes the screen session. 3) Skype on iPhones. Seriously. I ain't screwing around with a phone keyboard and terminal app to SSH in, screen -dR and scroll around just to get back into a chat.
    - alnayyir 15y ago
      I don't use IRC for specific people, if specific people want to speak with me, they can be-bop into mumble, call my phone, IM me, visit me, email me...I'm just explaining why the rationale specific to IRC doesn't make much sense.
  - Dylan16807 15y ago
    Which is fine as long as you never go offline or reboot.
    - alnayyir 15y ago
      linode.com
      - pyre 15y ago
        Yes. Instead of using the free app Skype, I should instead pay $20/month for a virtual server just so that I can have an always-on screen session with an IRC client running in it. Makes total sense.
        alnayyir 15y ago
        >I'm just explaining why the rationale specific to IRC doesn't make much sense.
- technomancy 15y ago
  We moved off Skype chat at our company partly due to the fact that the Linux client makes you keep a separate window open for every chat you're in, making it basically unusable beyond 5 or so chats. Throw in the fact that the usernames aren't color coded and you can't bump the font size and switching to IRC was a no-brainer.
bergie 15y ago
On N900, Skype is just another Telepathy plugin. This means it uses the same UIs and phone book as the GSM phone, Google Talk, SMS etc.

Which is great. It does pretty much everything the Windows client does (chat, voice, video, desktop sharing), without the big, gaudy, annoying interface. I fear that it'll just go away, or actively get shut down by compatibility changes. (My friends and I practically live on Skype. The one killer feature for us is persistent chatrooms; it's like IRC, except when I log in I get all the missing chat history I didn't get while I was logged out.)

lurker19 15y ago
What version of Skype and Linux do you have that doesn't have the giant interface and a dozen windows open at once to show a dozen chats?
Dylan16807 15y ago
The linux client is missing a critical feature for me: joining an in-progress audio call. One call I'm in is almost always running, and the host is often not there to add me. I end up running windows skype in a VM when I'm on linux.
- navs 15y ago
  Yes, I found this very annoying. I remember the previous OSX version was also missing this and I often got laughed at because I couldn't join a call. Apparently this was Steve Jobs fault or something along those lines.
13Psibies 15y ago
Skype is demonstrably worse on Linux. Aside from it's tendency to lock up, its support for conference calls is wrong; for example, if you're in a call, and call out to a phone number it offers to add the new call to the conference after you've made the request.
alnayyir 15y ago
>it's like IRC, except when I log in I get all the missing chat history I didn't get while I was logged out What? screen + irssi + /lastlog your_nick
- damncabbage 15y ago
  1) Four of those friends are not technical, and wouldn't know what to do with irssi. The remainder are using laptops that get disconnected a lot. 2) I reboot to Windows to play games. There goes the screen session. 3) Skype on iPhones. Seriously. I ain't screwing around with a phone keyboard and terminal app to SSH in, screen -dR and scroll around just to get back into a chat.
  - alnayyir 15y ago
    I don't use IRC for specific people, if specific people want to speak with me, they can be-bop into mumble, call my phone, IM me, visit me, email me...I'm just explaining why the rationale specific to IRC doesn't make much sense.
- Dylan16807 15y ago
  Which is fine as long as you never go offline or reboot.
  - alnayyir 15y ago
    linode.com
    - pyre 15y ago
      Yes. Instead of using the free app Skype, I should instead pay $20/month for a virtual server just so that I can have an always-on screen session with an IRC client running in it. Makes total sense.
      - alnayyir 15y ago
        >I'm just explaining why the rationale specific to IRC doesn't make much sense.
technomancy 15y ago
We moved off Skype chat at our company partly due to the fact that the Linux client makes you keep a separate window open for every chat you're in, making it basically unusable beyond 5 or so chats. Throw in the fact that the usernames aren't color coded and you can't bump the font size and switching to IRC was a no-brainer.

bergie 15y ago

On N900, Skype is just another Telepathy plugin. This means it uses the same UIs and phone book as the GSM phone, Google Talk, SMS etc.