[lug] No more Skype support for Linux?

[Jason Vallery]

Ballmer is giving a press conference right now.

"Fundamental to the value proposition of communications is being able to
reach anyone regardless of the platform they use.'

Let's remain optimistic!   For some reason recently I seem to only post on
here in defense of Microsoft these days.   :\
-JV



On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 9:28 AM, Davide Del Vento <
davide.del.vento at gmail.com> wrote:

> >> Are there any other Internet phone services available for Linux?
> >
> > Ekiga.  Haven't used it much because I don't know anyone else using it.
> > http://ekiga.org/ - desktop tool
> > https://www.ekiga.net/ - service provider
>
> I tried Ekiga about 2 years ago. It kind of worked. Like a car you
> build by yourself from scrap metal does, thought. You won't use it for
> more than a trip around the block. Video was almost impossible to
> stream. Voice was more mature, but (back to the car example), just for
> a trip in town, you don't want to go out of town with that wreck. I'd
> be interested if anybody tries it now, maybe 2 years have been enough
> to make it production-ready.
>
> I used skype a lot for my weekly videocall to my relatives oversea
> (note: I only have linux boxes in my house and office: no Mac or
> windows). With the like-myself-geek-and-free-software-advocate oversea
> relative, I tried to stick with Ekiga, but it lasted two weeks (i.e. 2
> calls), then we switches to skype. If something it's unreliable, it
> doesn't matter if it's geeky or free software.
>
> When Google released this http://www.google.com/chat/video for Linux I
> tried it, and as soon as it worked with my webcam (at first it didn't)
> I started using it "in production". I find it better than skype. As
> many Google things it's browser based, but it requires you install a
> proprietary plugin - if you don't you can't use it, so you have to be
> root on the relevant machine (which I don't like, and in fact I
> haven't installed on the machine where I do internet banking, but
> anyway...)
> The same plugin is used for Firefox and Chrome (not sure about
> epiphany and the likes)
>
> This Google Thing works better than skype in my experience, more
> reliable on flaky internet connections, more "tunable", less dropped
> calls, no new passwords to learn (I think I created 7 skype accounts
> just because I always forgot the password and couldn't get it back):
>
> 1) the video freezes when the bandwidth does not allow, keeping the
> audio going, as opposed to breaking your eardrums with noise like
> skype did.
> 2) the video window is freely resizable: the more you enlarge the more
> bandwidth it needs.
> 3) I also like that'ss well integrated with gmail and its text chat,
> so I can search for chat history of any of my 7 computers without
> installing the client (I guess that might be a cons to some)
> 4) I like Google more than the often-owner-changing skype (I guess
> that might be a cons to some)
> 5) I liked the interface better than skype, which is confusing for me:
> too many irrelevant
>
>
> HTH, YMMV, etc.
>
> Davide
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-- 
Jason Vallery
jason at vallery.net

mobile: +1.720.352.8822
web: http://vallery.net/
twitter: jvallery
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